Abuja, Nigeria, 04 December 2025: The 43rd Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ambassadorial level was held today at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, bringing together Permanent Representatives of Member States, Directors of the Commission, and officials from the Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and Early Warning Directorates.

The Council reviewed the state of democracy, political, security, and humanitarian developments in the region; received updates on the operationalisation of National Early Warning and Response Centres; and discussed preparations for the Special Summit on the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa.

Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau MUSAH underscored the worsening insecurity in the region and called on the MSC to focus attention on the process of activating the regional counter terrorism force following the adoption of funding modalities for the force based on the region’s own resources.

Amb. MUSAH highlighted the progress made by the Commission in the consolidation of democracy in the region as evidenced by the peaceful elections held in Cote D’Ivoire in October and the referendum held in Guinea on 21 September 2025. He, however, cited the unfortunate coup d’etat in Guinea Bissau as yet another proof that democracy remains fragile in the region. He therefore called on the MSC to take a decisive step by making pertinent recommendations for the immediate restoration of constitutional order in the country.

In his opening address, the Chair of the MSC and Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to Nigeria, H.E. Julius SANDY, stressed that the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, along with rising insecurity, governance challenges, and humanitarian crises, calls for urgent and collective response by ECOWAS.