The newly appointed High Official in the fight against terrorism of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Baba Kamara, has ended a working visit to the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, assignment which spanned between Wednesday, November 8 to Friday, November 10, 2023.

During the visit, he held talks with relevant agencies and departments of the commission to apprise himself of the current terrorism situation in the West African region as he prepares to commence activities towards the review and implementation of the ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Strategy and Plan of Action, with the ultimate goal of curbing the scourge in the region.

During the three-day familiarisation visit, the former High Commissioner of Ghana to Nigeria met with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, who expressed delight at the appointment of Baba Kamara as the Special Envoy, noting that the commission was excited to have someone with such pedigree and experience to lead the charge in the fight against terrorism.

Dr. Touray intimated that the former National Security Advisor of Ghana would bring a fresh impetus to lead the review of the ECOWAS CT Strategy and the implementation of the Plan of Action.

He assured the Special Envoy of the full support of the commission, particularly the relevant departments comprising the Early Warning, Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), as well as the Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs.

Recognising the importance of these departments as the forefront agencies in shaping policies and programmes in the fight against the terrorism menace, Baba Kamara held working sessions with their respective heads and staff in order to gain an insight and the journey so far and what has been the challenges in the implementation of the ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Strategy, running between 2020 and 2024.

In this regard, the High Official was briefed by  Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, under whose leadership is the Early Warning Department Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner PAPS, and Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, Commissioner, Humanitarian and Social Affairs.

Alhaji Baba Kamara, who was accompanied by Inusah Ziblim, Expert on Terrorism and Minister/Consular Affairs at the Ghana High Commission in Abuja, and Thomas Kpegah, Deputy Director and Senior Analyst at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, assured the leadership of ECOWAS that he would do his utmost to work with the various departments of the commission to review the Counter Terrorism Strategy and the Plan of Action, and to make their implementation feasible.

The former Special Envoy bemoaned the devastating effects of terrorism and violent extremism on the region and called on all Member States to join the fight, while addressing the underlying factors leading to the emergence and growth of the phenomenon.

He informed of plans to visit the front line countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to learn on a first hand basis what the real challenges are in countering the terrorist groups and what ECOWAS can do to help those countries.

More than four years after adopting the Strategy and Plan of Action to eradicate terrorism in West Africa, ECOWAS has made little progress. Indeed terrorism in the region has since worsened.