The Chiefs of Defence Staff from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger once again shunned the 42nd ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff Meeting, holding at Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in Abuja.

Also conspicuously absent, were the Chiefs of Defence Staff, from Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Cape Verde, and Togo.

Acknowledging their absence in the all-important sub regional meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Christopher Musa said, “if you look at the flags, they represent all the ECOWAS countries, and we are hopeful that they will show up”.

The three West African countries under military dictatorship had since formed their own regional economic bloc, code named, Alliance of Sahelian States (AES).

Announcing their withdrawal from ECOWAS, the three military dictators gave reasons for exiting the bloc, like Mauritania did in years past.

The military junta in a statement observed that the (ECOWAS) organization has drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism, hence their withdrawal.

This is as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, raised alarm over proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa, insisting that the situation is exacerbating security threats in the sub region. He emphasized the urgent need to halt the continued proliferation weapons.

In his welcome address, the CDS, General Christopher Musa, urged the ECOWAS Committee of Chief of Defence Staff to harness their collective wisdom, experience, and determination to advance the security agenda of ECOWAS and ensure a safer and more secure future for the region.

He however emphasized the need for the military to uphold democratic values in line with their various constitutions. He disclosed that it was on the premise of the above that the agenda for the meeting was carefully crafted to focus on critical areas to build on previous engagements.

According to him, some of these critical areas include the proposed ECOWAS security support mission in Sierra Leone, and the activation of the ECOWAS standby force against terrorism.

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