ECOWAS says 5.5 million West Africans are displaced by terrorism
NEWS DIGEST – The activity of insurgents across West Africa has led to the displacement of 5.5 million West Africans and the death of more than 14,500 persons, according to the Economic Community of West African States.
Mr Jean-Claude Brou, former president of the commission who handed over power to new leadership on Wednesday, said in his brief that acts of terrorism have become rife in the region and are threatening the economy of the rural population.
The activities of terror cells in West African states such as Nigeria and Niger continually attack societal and religious structures.
Boko Haram, which means “No to Western Education”, has without cease orchestrated high-profile child abductions in less secure rural communities in North Eastern and North Western Nigeria since its first attack in 2011.
Both due to fear and the complete desecration of their community from rifles and arson by the insurgents, members of the assaulted communities are forced to leave their homes and identify as displaced in camps.
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“First of all, the deterioration of the security situation has caused havoc not only in the Sahel area, affecting Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the North- East of Nigeria, but it soon expanded to the coastal zone, hitting Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo,” Mr Brou said in Abuja during the handover to the new president, Omar Touray.
Brou, who begins his new job as Governor of the West African Bank, explained that the lack of progress in curbing terrorism is nudging inhabitants of vulnerable communities to flee their homes.
“Thus, the number of refugees and internally displaced people in our region reached about 5.5m persons who are in need of humanitarian assistance.”
Burkina Faso, which shares a border with Niger and has a low-performing economy, has the highest terror rate in West Africa, according to Statista, and is followed closely by Nigeria and Mali.
Burkina Faso, like Nigeria, has its terror attacks driven by religious ideologies, particularly those perpetrated by the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, even though some are driven by frustrations from a lack of economic growth.
According to Brou, the ECOWAS community must follow through with the current structure to mitigate terrorism and placate its consequences.
“It will necessitate sustained commitment, including financial support from member states to produce the expected results in the medium to long term,” he said.
