The Chiefs Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member States weighed the strengths and weaknesses of ‘Kinetic Operations’ and ‘Support and Assistance Missions’.
the concern of the chiefs staff of the armed forces is How to drive terrorism out of West Africa. in this part of the Black Continent where many jihadist groups operate. Senior military officers from Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo met in Guinea-Bissau and met with their counterparts to follow the directives of the Mayors. Head of Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In an ECOWAS statement this last described two options discussed by the Chief of Staff. The first document states that it is an “offensive search and destroy mission, civilian protection, and power projection to secure sites and critical infrastructure.” However, the military said, “It poses political difficulties (the need for host country acceptance and public responsiveness), significant financial constraints, and given past experience, its long-term operational effectiveness is not guaranteed.” No,’ he add .
In addition, the ECOWAS Heads of State decided to set up a regional force that could intervene in the event of a coup d’état across the sub region. In this regard, the General Staff believes that the ECOWAS Standby Force already constitutes an operational framework dedicated to all forms of intervention. But the restoration of constitutional order requires powers and necessary capacities.”
They also noted that “this intervention is complex and its implementation may be difficult, especially if large portions of the population and/or military adhere to unconstitutional changes in the country.”
NOUR EL HOUDA BOUZAMMOUR