Abuja-The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Network for Peace building (WANEP) have called for increased efforts to end violent extremism that is threatening the stability of the region.
ECOWAS and WANEP are calling for increased funding, information and intelligence sharing and synergy in cross-border security initiatives among Member States in other to support the ECOWAS counter terrorism strategy, which seeks to prevent violent extremism in the region.
A dispatch from Abuja says this was the outcome of deliberations during a policy dialogue meeting on the current dynamics and challenges of violent extremism in West Africa.
The meeting ended in Abuja, Nigeria recently.
The ECOWAS Commissions’ Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, General Francis Benhazin was represented by the ECOWAS Standby Force Head of Regional Security, Colonel Dieng Abdourahmane.
Colonel Abdourahmane stated that during the meeting that, a soft approach which involves the need to have a deeper understanding of the dynamics of violent extremism in the region remains the most potent and long-term solution against violent extremism.
‘We believe that the fight against violent extremism can only be successful through an integrated and comprehensive approach which ranges from local, state, national, regional, continental to the global levels,’ the ECOWAS Standby Force officer said.
He added that ‘if aptly implemented the prevention pillar of the counter terrorism strategy will address the drivers of violent extremism’.
The former ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mrs Salamatu Suleiman, who chairman of the meeting, noted that good governance and sustainable development will help to address development deficits that mostly underline the emergence of violent extremist groups.
WANEP’s Deputy Executive Director, Mrs. Levinia Addae-Mensah said that the terrorism being encountered in ECOWAS Member States such as Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso may have far reaching consequences which could affect future generations.
She therefore observed that it has become important to create a platform to review and evaluate the various approaches to eradicate terrorism and violent extremism.
The just-ended policy dialogue meeting in Abuja was held following a year-long research undertaken by WANEP to investigate the root causes and dynamics of violent extremism in West Africa.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF). Also represented were the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data in West Africa (REWARD) initiative and Member States.