More than 1,800 terrorist attacks were carried out in West Africa in the first six months of the year resulting in nearly 4,600 deaths and dire humanitarian consequences, according to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, who also called the figures only “a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity.”
Touray told the UN Security Council on Tuesday (25 July) that half a million people in the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are refugees and nearly 6.2 million are internally displaced. He also appealed to the international community to help the region deal with the suffering of about 30 million people who, as ECOWAS assesses, are in dire need of food right now. Touray also warned that the number of people in need will increase to 42 million by the end of next month.
The top ECOWAS leader also highlighted the following drivers of insecurity in the region: terrorism, armed rebellion, organized crime, unconstitutional changes of government, illegal maritime activities, environmental crises and fake news. He said the region is worried about the resurgence of the military, with three countries – Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea – under military rule. “The reversal of democratic gains runs parallel to insecurity that West Africa and the Sahel have been facing for some time now,” he said, and insecurity continues to inflict pain and suffering on millions of people.
Source: The North Africa Post
