ECOWAS: Nigeria Reaffirms Its Support for the Regional Counterterrorism Brigade

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Sheikh Sulaiman Massaquoi called on the Nigerian armed forces to maintain their support in order to accelerate the reaction capabilities of the Standby Force and to advance the establishment and operationalization of the counter-terrorism brigade. In response, General Oluyede reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the regional force and other peace and security initiatives in West Africa.

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According to ECOWAS and Voice of Nigeria, the Nigerian army has also promised to provide the standby Force with an 18-seat bus to strengthen its administrative, logistical, and operational capabilities. This announcement accompanies the revival of a regional mechanism that has been discussed for several years in response to the expansion of armed threats in the sub-region.

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The counterterrorism brigade is to form the operational core of the ECOWAS standby force. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) indicated in March that West African chiefs of staff had agreed on training 1,650 soldiers. Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal had at that time confirmed their intention to provide contingents.

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A force designed for rapid deployment

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The chosen plan provides that the units remain stationed in their respective countries while being prepared for rapid deployment if needed. The brigade is part of the ECOWAS Standby Force framework, which itself is linked to the African Union’s continental peace and security architecture.

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Financing remains one of the main parameters of the project. During ministerial meetings dedicated to financial arrangements, ECOWAS had estimated the cost of the first year at approximately 481.5 million dollars for a gradual option of 1,650 personnel, compared to 2.61 billion dollars for a brigade of 5,000 personnel.

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The Abuja meeting did not announce a new budget or a specific deployment date. However, it confirms that the regional headquarters is seeking to consolidate the military and logistical support necessary for the effective operational deployment of the system.

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The delegation led by Sheikh Sulaiman Massaquoi included officers from the Force Headquarters as well as from the Peace Support Operations Division of the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission.