BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Worried by the rising coup, the Economic Community of West African States has declared a state of emergency across the region.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray made the declaration on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, during the 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja.
He said: "Recent developments underlined the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community."
News Rider reports that the rising wave of political instability and insecurity across the West African States led to coup d'état.
Addressing ministers, diplomats and senior officials, Touray cited multiple incidents as evidence of a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
He stated that ECOWAS member states currently face an average rating of 'high risk' based on country-by-country analyses contained in documents before the ministers.
"Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community.
"As you would have seen in the memoranda before you, the country-by-country analyses of our member states show different risk levels across our community, from high to medium, with an average of high risk, thereby demanding immediate and concerted action.
"The risk factors are the persistence of military interventions (Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Benin just days ago); non-compliance with transition norms in Guinea, where we face a military leader turning civilian; growing erosion of electoral inclusivity across multiple states; expanding influence of terrorists, armed groups and criminal networks; and increasing geopolitical pressures affecting member states’ diplomacy and cohesion," he added.
Touray disclosed that elections have become a major trigger of instability in the community.
He harped on the need for a coordinated regional response to terrorism and cross-border criminal activity, just as he recalled attempted coups and ongoing discussions with the Alliance of Sahel States.
"Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency," he said.
Mediation
The ECOWAS President requested frequent meetings of the Mediation and Security Council over the next year, noting that ECOWAS must pool resources to confront the threats of terrorism and banditry, which operate without respect for territorial boundaries.
He listed priority areas requiring continuous ministerial oversight, including the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, managing political transitions, addressing rising political exclusion, and safeguarding regional unity amid external pressures.
Touray lamented the worsening humanitarian conditions in West Africa, referencing recent UNHCR data.
He said: "As at October 2025, approximately 7.6 million individuals are forcibly displaced across the region, including more than 6.5 million internally displaced persons.
"The largest displaced populations are in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, while Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo host the highest numbers of asylum seekers.
"We must therefore take decisions and actions that will reverse this trend," he stated.
Decisive Action
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Ministers, Timothy Kabba called for decisive action to protect democratic governance given the worsening political instability.
While regretting the recent political crises in Guinea-Bissau and Benin, he highlighted the fragile state of democracy in West Africa.
"The recent coup in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup in the Benin Republic are sobering reminders of the fragility of our democratic gains," Kabba said.
He explained Sierra Leone’s diplomatic efforts, saying that he led a high-level delegation to Guinea-Bissau on December 1, 2025, to engage with military leaders and political stakeholders.
"His Excellency’s engagement helped ease tensions and opened the door for continued dialogue under ECOWAS’s guidance.
"These actions reflect our collective position. ECOWAS cannot and will not accept this development. They undermine everything our community stands for and threaten the peace and security of our citizens," he added.
Already, countries like Mali, Niger Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau are headed by the military as a result of the heightened coup.
But on Sunday, December 7, 2025, another coup in the Benin Republic was foiled given, which underscored the wobbly democratic governance across the region.
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