By James Amoh Junior
Accra, Jan. 30, GNA – President Dr. Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has warned that terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa have reached a dangerous stage, where armed groups are no longer merely testing states but are actively seeking to dismantle them.
He insisted that fragmented and reactive responses were no longer acceptable.
President Bio made the remarks at the Summit of Heads of State and Government, held as part of the High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra.
It was aimed at strengthening collective responses to insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel.
He said more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide now occurred in the region, describing the situation as a global emergency that could not be addressed by any single country acting alone.
According to him, behind every terrorist incident were displaced families, traumatised communities, violated women and girls and young people drawn into cycles of violence.
President Bio, also the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government, said the human cost of insecurity was being worsened by poverty, weak institutions, climate shocks and declining regional cohesion.
He added that the region must be honest in admitting that its responses had too often been fragmented, reactive and constrained by hesitation.
“This moment demands coordinated and decisive action,” he said, thanking President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana for stepping in to convene leaders at a critical time to close what he described as a dangerous gap in regional security cooperation.
The Sierra Leonean leader said intelligence sharing, mobility, logistics and coordinated operations were essential, not optional.
He stressed that strengthening regional cooperation was an imperative for both regional and international peace and security.
Brig. (Rtd) Dr Bio warned that if West African states failed to act together, insecurity would continue to define the region’s future.
He said the regional crisis required a unified and coherent response, anchored in sustained cooperation within the Economic Community of West African States and engagement with neighbouring states, including Mauritania and Algeria.
The Sierra Leonean President acknowledged political tensions and transitions in parts of the region but insisted that geography made dialogue and cooperation unavoidable.
He therefore, called for efforts to bridge trust and coordination gaps between ECOWAS, the Alliance of Sahel States and neighbouring countries, noting that despite emerging alliances, countries could not choose their geography.
He said Sierra Leone remained committed to sustained diplomatic engagement at both regional and international levels.
The President urged stronger alignment of existing regional security mechanisms, warning that fragmentation and overlap were undermining effectiveness.
He cited initiatives such as the Accra Initiative, the Multinational Joint Task Force, the Nouakchott Process and other counter-terrorism platforms, saying they must be better coordinated and adequately resourced to deliver results.
President Bio called for the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework to be fully operationalised and funded without delay, arguing that institutional weaknesses continued to limit the region’s capacity to respond decisively to emerging threats.
He emphasised on intelligence cooperation, calling for improved interoperability, real-time intelligence exchange and stronger border management.
He said terrorist networks thrived on illicit economies involving arms, human trafficking and narcotics, and urged intensified cooperation with international partners, including Interpol, Afripol and the Financial Action Task Force, to disrupt these networks.
He said stronger customs enforcement and border controls were essential and pointed to regional border cooperation frameworks as practical models that should be supported and replicated.
He also called for greater use of regional and international platforms that support capacity building in criminal justice, counter-terrorism and prison management.
Drawing on his background as a former military officer, President Bio cautioned against overreliance on force alone, saying military action must be matched with governance reforms, service delivery and economic recovery.
He said terrorism thrived where the social contract had broken down, poverty was entrenched and institutions failed, leading citizens to lose faith in the state.
According to him, rebuilding trust through inclusive development, strong institutions and respect for the rule of law was the most effective defence against radicalisation.
President John Dramani Mahama, who chaired the Summit, said Ghana convened the summit to begin forging a shared consensus towards making the sub-region safer, despite recent political and security challenges within the Economic Community of West African States and the emergence of the Alliance of Sahelian States.
He said although the sub-region had experienced difficulties and realignments, countries remained bound by geography and shared destiny, warning that division would only weaken collective security.
“Together we stand, divided we fall,” he said.
He cautioned that failure to establish an effective framework for cooperation against violence, extremism and terrorism would allow insecurity to spread unchecked across the region, likening it to a cancer that could consume countries one after another.
President Mahama described the summit as an informal but important first step towards building a platform for renewed engagement and cooperation.
He said it was intended to lay the foundation for a new framework acceptable to all states to confront violent extremism and terrorism threatening lives, property, economies and development.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba