Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the current chair of ECOWAS, warned during a UN Security Council session that failure to act decisively against terrorism in the Sahel could turn the region into a “permanent haven for extremist cells,” noting that these threats are only a few hours away from major global cities.
Maada Bio proposed establishing a coordination charter between ECOWAS, the United Nations, and the African Union to align efforts in security, governance, and humanitarian action.
He stressed that the Sahel States Alliance (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) could complement existing security frameworks through such a mechanism.
The ECOWAS chair emphasized that military responses alone are insufficient, urging improved intelligence sharing, surveillance, and airlift capacity, which remain persistent gaps for national armies.
He also highlighted the superior firepower of armed groups compared to state forces, enabling them to open multiple fronts and disrupt trade routes.
The warning comes as ECOWAS faces a funding shortfall that is hindering its plan to deploy a “standby force” to address the worsening security situation. The region recorded 450 armed attacks resulting in more than 1,900 deaths between January and November 2025.
