ECOWAS to launch 260,000-strong anti-terror brigade, targets $2.5bn annual funding

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has unveiled plans to deploy a 260,000-strong rapid response counter-terrorism brigade, requiring $2.5 billion annually for operations and logistics.

ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray disclosed this on Monday at the 2025 African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit in Abuja, themed “Combating Contemporary Threats to Regional Peace and Security in Africa: The Role of Strategic Defence Collaboration.”

Represented by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Touray said the funds would be channelled into activating the force, equipping it with logistics, and supporting frontline states grappling with terrorist insurgencies.

He warned that the Sahel has become the global epicentre of terrorism, accounting for 51 per cent of all terror-related deaths worldwide in 2024, stressing that the situation calls for urgent and coordinated action.

Touray stated: “There is no gainsaying that West Africa, particularly the Sahel sub-region, has emerged as the global hotspot for terrorism, with surveys showing that the Sahel accounted for 51% of global terrorism deaths in 2024.”

He noted that while ECOWAS remains committed to its existing 5,000-man brigade under the African Peace and Security Architecture and the Continental Standby Force, the creation of a rapid deployment unit has become imperative due to the asymmetric nature of current security challenges.

“This bold step requires adequate financial resources to succeed. ECOWAS will convene a joint meeting of Finance and Defence Ministers this Friday in Abuja to agree on funding modalities for raising the $2.5 billion annual budget needed for the force,” he added.

Touray urged international partners to complement the initiative and called on the United Nations to fulfil its commitment under Security Council Resolution 2719 (December 2023), which pledged to fund 75 per cent of African-led peace operations.

Beyond counter-terrorism, he said ECOWAS is working to fully implement its integrated maritime security strategy, which includes three regional maritime centres, a central coordinating hub in Abuja, and new measures to combat transnational organised crime.