ECOWAS gets support from ECCAS to fight Boko Haram

by Laila Ibrahim

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on Monday met with President Goodluck Jonathan seeking to join forces with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to fight the Boko Haram Sect.

Presidents Denis Sassou N’Guesso of the Republic of Congo and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of the Republic of Equitorial Guinea, who represented the ECCAS met with President Jonathan at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, during a one day working visit to Nigeria.

Speaking after the closed door meeting N’Guesso told journalists that they had reviewed the two challenges confronting the African Continent. Significantly, Ebola which is affecting basically countries in West Africa, like Liberia, Guinea and Serra Leone, as well as the current security challenges facing the West African and Central African Regions, especially terrorism and the menace of the insurgency by Boko Haram.

They also condemned the insurgency, its destructive activities such as indiscriminate killing of peoples and the wanton destruction of properties, the abduction of innocent women and children, especially young school girls, who had been turned to sex slaves.

He said they had come on a solidarity visit as well as to work out modalities on how to assist Nigeria combat the issue of Boko Haram.

The delegation is expected to proceed to Ghana for further consultations with Ghanaian President, John Mahama who is also the chairman of ECOWAS.

The Boko Haram has over the years, widened its attacks into neighbouring nations, notably Cameroon and Chad, in a conflict estimated to have claimed 13,000 lives since 2009.

Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria have recently formed a military alliance to combat the group who is fighting against western influence in the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria, and had subsequently been supported by the African Union and the United Nation.

“We will study the situation together and put in place a security architecture to see how we can coordinate all our actions to put out and eradicate the Boko Haram, which has been spreading in a very grave manner. We look forward to peace, security and development in Africa” he said.

The meeting with Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan is coming on the heels of a meeting held in Cameroon’s capital city, Yaounde, where representatives of 10 nations met under the aegis of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and committed to spend $86m to fight Boko Haram. Nigeria, who was to be an observer was however absent at the meeting.

“Like you know at the last meeting of the Africa Union, the Heads of State took some very important decisions principally to check the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun and Chad. Following the meeting of the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African Countries (ECCAC) had a meeting recently in Yaoundé to address particularly the Boko Haram challenge in Africa and to see the possibility of ameliorating the grave situation. It’s on that platform that we met with our friend President Jonathan of Nigeria.”

“We are here because we have been mandated by the Heads of State of the Central African Community to bring here, and show our solidarity to the people of Nigeria and the government of Nigeria, and to our brother and friend, President Jonathan.”

“And after here, we are on a mission to Accra to meet with President John Mahama of Ghana, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS. We have met with our friend, President Jonathan. We will have another meeting with President Mahama, Chairman of ECOWAS,” he said.

N’Guesso said the ECCAC would collectively utilize all political, military and diplomatic actions and mobilize all our actions in all fronts to degrade and eradicate Boko Haram. “We have no doubt that we have arrived at a mechanism for coordinating all our actions for effectiveness,” he said.

He commended the President Jonathan for maintaining peace in the country as well as the security forces for the recent success that they have recorded in overcoming attacks by Boko Haram.

“We hope that the framework that we are going to put in place will give us a better and more effective result against Boko Haram”.

He added that with the leadership of the people of the continent, which includes ECOWAS and Central African Community, and the support of the international community, “we will get effective results for the continent. We hope that with our collective mobilization we will achieve sustainable peace and security for the continent”.

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