The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has urged ECOWAS Defense Chiefs to consistently uphold democratic values.

He delivered this message at the 42nd Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff held in Abuja on Wednesday.

General Musa expressed concern over the recent military takeovers in some West African countries, highlighting the unintended consequences and threats to democratic values these actions have caused in the region. “The threat of military takeover must be destroyed,” Musa stated, emphasizing that such actions contradict the core values and responsibilities of the military profession.

He reiterated that in democratic countries, the military must align with the principles of their constitutions and uphold democratic values. The meeting also featured remarks from the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar. Both ministers urged the service chiefs from the regional bloc to collaborate effectively in tackling terrorism and combating the illicit movement of small arms and light weapons in the West African sub-region.

Held at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, the meeting focused on regional security, including the consideration of establishing a force to counter security challenges. However, of the 15 defense chiefs expected to attend, those from Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Togo were absent. In their previous meeting last August, the defense chiefs had agreed on a comprehensive approach to address the political, security, and diplomatic dimensions of the situation in Niger Republic.

The military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger had formed a mutual defense pact, leading to their exit from the wider Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc in January. In July, the leaders of these three countries participated in the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), established after their withdrawal from ECOWAS. Their departure was partly motivated by claims that Paris was manipulating the bloc and not providing sufficient support for anti-jihadist efforts.