ECOWAS Heads of Operations meet ahead of the Extraordinary Session of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff in Bissau

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, December 17, 2022. The ECOWAS Heads of Operations meet ahead of the Extraordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) scheduled to hold in Bissau, Guinea Bissau on December 19, 2020. The one-day meeting which opened today December 17, 2022, will be followed by the meeting of the ECOWAS Chiefs of Intelligence and the CCDS which will hold December 18 and 19, 2022 respectively.

In his welcome remarks, Amb. Dr. Abdel- Fatau Musah, Commissioner, Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission represented by Dr. Pawoumothom Cyriaque Agnekethom, Director, Peacekeeping and Regional Security, highlighted that the situation in the Region has reached a stage where there is need to activate the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) to fight terrorism.

While thanking the Government and people of Guinea Bissau for their warm hospitality, Prof. Nazifi Abdullahi Darma, Commissioner, Internal Services of the ECOWAS Commission in his statement stressed the need to find a lasting solution to the security challenges in the Region. He encouraged the ECOWAS Heads of Operations to come up with the best ideas to defeat terrorism in the Region.

In his opening statement, Gen. Biague Nan tam, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Republic of Guinea Bissau and the Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff, stressed that the ESF can be used to fight terrorism and the restoration of constitutional order in the Region when threatened.

The meeting is expected to come up with options and modalities for the effective deployment of ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in the fight against terrorism and for the restoration of constitutional order where they are threatened in the Region. The report of the meeting will be presented for the consideration of the CCDS and the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.

The ECOWAS Heads of Operations is made up of military operations officers of Defence Headquarters of  ECOWAS member States.