(Togo First) - On July 30, 2018, the ECOWAS-ECCAS joint summit for peace, and extremism eradication ended.

The event which was hosted in Lomé, Togo, gathered the two communities’ presidents as well as other major personalities. The summit assessed security issues in West and Central Africa; also, they identified the various risks related to security, namely terrorism, arms trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime etc.

Led by Togo and Gabon’s presidents, also heads of ECOWAS and ECCAS, Faure Gnassingbé and Ali Bongo Ondimba adopted a joint declaration during the summit.

The Lomé declaration for peace, stability, fight against terrorism and violent extremism will overcome barriers opposing a broader and more efficient cooperation regarding security. The declaration aligns with the two communities’ constitutional standards.

It acts as a guide for priority measures to take in order to establish an optimal partnership framework between the two regional communities. This would subsequently help these regions better fight terrorism. In this regard, emphasis will be put on collaboration, involving both the international community and member states of ECOWAS and ECCAS, by leveraging on legal, security and defense tools, as well as on the civil society, religious communities, youth, etc.

Boosting cooperation in security sector

As part of the decisions they took during the summit, the two regions’ leaders committed to cooperate to prevent conflicts and promote peace and stability. This, they will do by implementing and reinforcing, at the national and regional levels, the early crises warning and response mechanism that engages civil society, decision-makers, women and youth.

In that same vein, the president of ECOWAS commission and ECCAS’ secretary were instructed to start, as soon as possible, talks between member states of the regions. This, in order to conclude and implement procedures for mutual aid and legal cooperation. In this regard, an agreement involving criminal police should be reached before the year ends, sources indicate.

Member States will also have to submit proposals regarding mechanisms and procedures that might enable safe data sharing before the next summit in 2020, in N’Djamena. Besides, joint information sessions will take place ; these will respect Human rights and help improve skills related to security and defense.

Focus on Sahel and Chad Basin

The declaration of Lomé calls for a full support of all troops fighting terrorists who cause havoc in West and Central Africa. According to Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian President, the threat is to be taken seriously. For his part, Niger’s President, Mahamadou Issoufou, said the issue was a major challenge. It should be noted, a ministerial committee will be meeting once a year to monitor the declaration’s implementation.

Actually, both leaders’ nations were urged, in line with the document’s goal, to provide financial and material support to troops deployed to fight terrorists in Lake Chad Basin and across the Sahel. Still under the declaration, involved heads of States and governments demanded the United Nations Security Council to place the G5 Sahel force under chapter 17 of the UN charter. This would allow the task force to secure more sustainable and multilateral funds.

Issues of Migratory Flows back on the table

Besides the United Nations, the Lomé declaration which lauded efforts made by many countries, calls the African Union (AU) to adopt the UN ways to lift the weapon embargo in place in the Central African Republic. Also, though briefly, the peculiar issue of migratory flows was mentioned in the declaration.

“Heads of States and governments instruct competent ministers to assess all aspects of migratory flows and global warming in the common space and to submit a report at their next summit,” the document reads.

On another plane, ministers of agriculture and husbandry were told to organize regular meetings with farmers and breeders’ associations to find ways to solve, peacefully, conflicts between farmers and breeders which are growing considerably in number and becoming a true source of concern.

Last, the text read by Robert Dussey, Togo’s minister of foreign affairs, indicates that Ecowas and Eccas’ heads of States and governments are to meet every year, during the AU’s ordinary summit, to review the implementation of commitments taken under the declaration of Lomé.

Fiacre E. Kakpo