Thousands of West African soldiers to deploy in regional military operation

Regional Security Meeting Outlines Plan for Standby Force Against Armed Groups

A meeting of ECOWAS military chiefs in Sierra Leone has agreed to activate a regional standby force to combat cross-border violence by armed groups in West Africa. The decision was made last week, amid an “existential security threat” that has resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displacements.

The plan involves mobilizing 2,000 soldiers by the end of 2026 to tackle armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. These groups have attacked military outposts and civilian settlements across Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, with recent attacks also targeting major urban areas.

ECOWAS plans to deploy troops, but faces challenges in funding and overcoming internal divisions that led to the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) by member states in January 2025. The AES split from ECOWAS due to infighting, which analysts say will persist as a challenge for the planned deployment.

The ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF), established in 1999, has been instrumental in ending conflicts and stabilizing states in transition. The force includes thousands of military, police, and civilian staff contributed by ECOWAS member states. Previous deployments have included combat operations during the Ivorian civil war and the Mali crisis.

The proposed activation of the ESF would specifically respond to threats posed by ideological armed groups. Regional leaders will need to address funding and internal divisions as they plan a new mobilization of thousands of soldiers.

Source: Al Jazeera