• UN decries children’s involvement in armed conflict, abuses
• America calls for child protection rights, support for caregivers
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has proposed a yearly financing of $2.67 billion for equipping and operationalisation of the ECOWAS counter-terrorism force to enable it to tackle the protracted insecurity in the West African region.
The move was disclosed, yesterday, by Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, during the opening of the defence and finance ministers’ meeting of the ECOWAS member-states in Abuja.
The meeting was to discuss the activation of a regional anti-terrorism force as well as address issues bordering on unconstitutional and undemocratic usurpation of government.
Abubakar added that the committee of ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff also proposed a brigade of 1,650 men at an estimated cost of $481 million as an alternative.
According to him, the figures underscored the gravity of the task before the defence chiefs and the necessity of a robust and sustainable resource mobilisation strategy.
He, however, expressed concern over the prolonged insecurity, terrorism and violent extremism threatening the safety and development of the region.
Earlier, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, admitted that the meeting was in line with the instructions given to the Commission by the Heads of State and Government during the 64th ordinary session held last December.
Touray recalled that the Authority had instructed the Commission to expedite the convening of the meeting of ministers of finance and defence of member-states to agree on the modalities for the mobilisation of internal financial, human and material resources on a mandatory basis to support the deployment of the regional counter-terrorism force.
MEANWHILE, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has decried the alarming rate of children’s involvement in armed conflict, saying that there is a need to strengthen the international community’s child protection capacities.
The United States’ (U.S.) representative to the United Nations (UN), Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said this, yesterday, during the UN Security Council briefing on children and armed conflict session in New York.
She lamented that 2024 yearly CAAC’s report highlighted the devastating impact of conflict on children, revealing that UN reported 21 per cent increase in instances of six grave violations against children.
Thomas-Greenfield, who noted that large numbers of children are being subjected to sexual violence, abduction, recruitment as mercenaries for abduction, maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian aid, recalled the efforts of former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, 15 years ago, to stop the menace.
From Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Joke Falaju (Abuja) and Oluwaseun Akingboye (Bureau Chief, U.S.& North America)
