Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) acknowledged on Sunday that the region is grappling with deepening insecurity and political turmoil.

During a summit in Abuja, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who took over the bloc’s rotating chairmanship from Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu, warned that West Africa stands "at a crossroads" as it battles growing threats such as terrorism, political instability, illicit arms trade, and transnational crime.

Bio emphasized the urgency of revamping ECOWAS's regional security systems, including improving intelligence coordination and rapid response capabilities.

He noted that democratic governance is under pressure, with multiple nations having experienced coups, severely disrupting constitutional rule.

The past decade has seen nearly half of ECOWAS’s original members rocked by military takeovers.

Earlier this year, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdrew from the bloc and formed their own alliance the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) which plans to launch a joint military force of 5,000 troops.

Violent extremism has surged in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions, with armed groups mounting deadly attacks in Mali, urban raids in Burkina Faso, and significant assaults on military installations in Niger.

Nigeria, hosting the summit, is also facing a renewed wave of violence against civilians and security forces.

Outgoing ECOWAS chair Bola Tinubu described the region’s worsening security as a consistent obstacle, blaming violent extremism and cross-border criminal activity.

He stated that during his tenure, ECOWAS had used diplomacy in attempts to re-engage the Sahelian junta-led states, expressing optimism that they could eventually be reintegrated.

Analysts say returning the three breakaway nations to ECOWAS will be the biggest challenge for Maada Bio, a former soldier with past ties to military leadership.

Despite the AES forming its own joint operations force, ECOWAS has reiterated its commitment to creating a standby military unit to combat terrorism and restore order, an idea first floated in response to Niger’s 2023 coup.

Tinubu urged swift implementation of the force, expressing concern about delays.

While no activation date was given, ECOWAS has historically intervened militarily in regional crises, including in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau.