ECOWAS Commission met its Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff to take stock of responsibilities tied to the change of baton from an outgoing to an incoming chair, the Commission has said.
The session took place at the Commission’s headquarters building in Abuja, Nigeria, on 12 October 2026.
At the start of the handover proceedings, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, stressed the need for cohesion in the fight against terrorism, describing the challenge as transnational in nature and requiring a community-wide strategy to surmount, according to the Commission’s account.
Diop led senior management officials of the Commission, including the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Francess Piagie Alghali, for discussions and briefings by the Chiefs of Defence Staff on how to reposition the ECOWAS Standby Force in the face of current security challenges confronting the region.
Presentations were delivered by Directors Cyriaque Agnekethom and Babatunde Afolabi, of the Directorates of Peacekeeping and Regional Security and of Political Affairs respectively, on the mandates and strides of their directorates.
The Commission said it is also working with relevant constituted authorities to ensure that the roadmap for the uninterrupted implementation of its counter-terrorism brigade is put in place to guarantee a more stable, prosperous region.
As part of the handover process, the Commission listed general institutional familiarisation, exchange of information and visits to strategic military governance institutions.
The outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Amara Idara Bangoura of Sierra Leone, is handing over the reins to Vice Admiral Oumar Wade of Senegal.
The chiefs are accompanied on the mission by Col ABS Mansary, Col Momoh Tholler, Col Mademba Aliou Fall and Cpat Ibrahim Kamara.
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