African leaders have taken a decisive and unprecedented stand against the escalating wave of terrorism and violent extremism sweeping across West Africa, declaring that the region has become the “global epicentre” of terror attacks and insisting that continued inaction is no longer acceptable.
This firm resolve was expressed in a joint communiqué issued at the close of a two-day High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security held in Accra between January 29 and 30, 2026. The communiqué was released to the media on Sunday.
The leaders painted a grim picture of the security situation, revealing that West Africa now records no fewer than eight terrorist attacks daily, resulting in an average of 44 deaths, with the region accounting for more than half of all terrorism-related fatalities worldwide.
Acknowledging the deep interconnection among West African states through geography, trade routes, shared ecosystems and cross-border communities, the leaders warned that the region is facing an alarming surge in extremist violence that demands urgent collective action.
“Our region is currently the global epicentre of terrorism and violent extremism. On a daily basis, at least eight terror attacks are recorded, claiming an average of forty-four lives. More than half of all global terrorism-related deaths occur here. This alarming trend leaves us with no option but to act,” the communiqué stated.
The conference was chaired by Ghanaian President John Mahama, with Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Joseph Boakai of Liberia leading their national delegations. Representatives from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo were also in attendance.
Participants stressed that insecurity in any single West African country easily spills across borders, compounding economic, social and security challenges throughout the region.
“Fragmentation carries enormous economic, social and security costs and weakens our collective capacity to solve problems. We must move beyond episodic diplomacy to a structured and permanent framework for cooperation,” the leaders declared.
At the end of the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening regional collaboration to confront evolving threats to peace, security and governance. They agreed that sustainable security must be anchored on a human security approach rooted in regional solidarity, respect for sovereignty, and people-centred, gender-responsive peacebuilding.
On counterterrorism, the summit resolved to significantly enhance intelligence and information sharing, harmonise legal frameworks and strengthen de-radicalisation and prevention programmes across the region.
The leaders also pledged to hold regular review meetings on peace and security commitments, improve cross-border prosecution of terrorism-related crimes, and ensure that counterterrorism measures respect human rights and the rule of law.
Addressing border security, the conference endorsed “hot pursuit” arrangements through bilateral, minilateral or multilateral agreements to counter the fluid movement of terrorists and transnational criminal networks.
“To support the fight against transnational crime, we will consider adopting hot-pursuit mechanisms and develop a foundational Memorandum of Understanding and related protocols on cooperation and security,” the communiqué said.
The leaders agreed that the draft Memorandum of Understanding would be prepared within three months and finalised within six months, under the coordination of Ghana’s foreign minister, to provide a legal framework for deeper regional security cooperation.
Recognising that military action alone cannot guarantee lasting peace, the leaders pledged to prioritise human security concerns, including food security, healthcare delivery, job creation and education.
“Military responses alone cannot ensure lasting peace. Strengthening local governance is essential so that citizens experience the state through service delivery, not only through security enforcement,” the communiqué added.
