On December 8, 2023, the CDD War Room received a claim that the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) would give the sum of $1.9 million to three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States. The claim is contained in a news article published by Agence Nigerienne De Presse titled “Terrorism in the Sahel: 1.9 million US dollars from ECOWAS for each of the 3 AES member countries to fight against the phenomenon”
According to the news article, the decision is contained in a report submitted by Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the ECOWAS commission. He was alleged to have said the step is “part of ECOWAS contribution in the fight against terrorism in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger,” during the presentation of its general report on the state of the regional organisation, before the ECOWAS parliament, on November 30, 2023.
“The beneficiary countries include Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and each of them will receive 1.9 million US dollars as support from its institution in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region.” According to the report, Burkina Faso will receive an additional $1 million because of the higher number of internally displaced people.
Verification:
On November 30, 2023, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, presented a report on the state of the Community to the Fifth Legislature’s Second Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament.
While presenting the report, Touray noted some key achievements of the commission that included “the free movement of goods and persons and initiatives like the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) and the ECOVISA system showcased tangible progress, with six Member States implementing ENBIC, fostering enhanced connectivity and trade across the region.”
In terms of security, he identified “the Commission’s collaborations with strategic partners, including the European Union and several prominent nations, which opened doors for impactful collaborations aimed at tackling security challenges and unlocking substantial financial opportunities, potentially exceeding 11.6 billion euros for the region.”
The CDD War Room received a copy of the report titled “SIXTY-FOURTH (64TH) ORDINARY SESSION OF THE AUTHORITY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT; FINAL COMMUNIQUE”
In a 4-part keynote report, there is no part that states that the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) would give the sum of $1.9 million to three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States. The part B that dwells on “Peace, Security and Governance in the region” explains the Commission’s intervention across member states. Hence, we could not find the part that corroborates the financial interventions to the three-member states by ECOWAS.
Similarly, in the report, the only part where Mali and Burkina Faso were mentioned is on the “transition process of the region,” where Presidential Troika is expected to “urgently undertake visits to Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, with a view to re-engaging the three countries in inclusive implementation of the transition programme.”
The CDD War Room also found a report where the ECOWAS commission donated $1.9 million to some member states. However, it was not for secuirty. The ECOWAS Commission, through the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC), donated the sum of USD 1,960,000 to some Member States with each member state receiving $245,000 to improve care for women and girls suffering from obstetric fistula.
Verdict: FALSE
The CDD War Room found the report submitted by Omar Alieu Touray during the presentation before the ECOWAS parliament and the communique released at the end of sixty-fourth (64TH) ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS. We can confirm that no part of the report or the communique stated that the commission would give $1.9 million to three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States to tackle terrorism.