ECOWAS will help Burkina Faso fight terrorism – Akufo-Addo

The President of Ghana and Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured the government and people of Burkina Faso of the commitment of the regional body towards winning the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

Commiserating with President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in Ouagadougou, following the killing of some 160 people on Sunday by unknown militants, President Akufo-Addo stated that the scourge of terrorism must be defeated in West Africa if citizens are to live in conditions of peace, freedom, progress, and prosperity.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the fight against terrorism must be a collective effort, and, as such, it is incumbent on ECOWAS to come together and assist countries, such as Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, that are at the front line of the battle against terrorism and violent extremism, to win the fight.

With the next ECOWAS Summit scheduled to be held in Accra on 19th June, the ECOWAS Chair indicated that top of the agenda of the meeting of Heads of State will not only include reforms to the organisation, but also a firm resolution by the Member States to implement a comprehensive plan of action to combat effectively the menace of terrorism.

He noted that, with countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, in recent times, bearing the brunt of terrorism and violent extremism, it is important that countries in West Africa rally behind each other to defeat the menace.

The Burkinabe President stressed that it is only West Africans, working together, that can defeat terrorism, and, thus, lent his support to his Ghanaian counterpart’s call for ECOWAS to take the lead in the fight against terrorism.

President Akufo-Addo has since returned to Ghana.