The joint Summit of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and ECCAS on peace, security, radicalization and violent extremism in these two sub-regions is scheduled for July 2018, according to a communiqué issued following a preparatory meeting between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) held on 20 April 2018 in Lomé (Togo).

Co-chaired by Mr. Robert Dussey, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo, and his counterpart of Gabon, Noel Nelson Messone, in their capacity as current Chairs of the Council of Ministers of the two respective communities, this meeting took "stock of the security situation as well as the initiatives already undertaken with a view to organising this Summit" - which was agreed at the extraordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of COPAX in Yaoundé on 16 February 2015. It also fostered concerted decision-making on the objectives, themes, expected results and modalities of its preparation.

United Nations: addressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism

Mr. Ahmad Allam-Mi, Secretary General of ECCAS and Ms. Finda Koroma, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, took part in this important meeting. The United Nations was represented by Mr. François Louncény Fall, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Central Africa/Head of UNOCA, and his colleague, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel/Head of UNOWAS.

In its resolution 2349 adopted on 31 March 2017, the Security Council "calls upon" these two United Nations bodies and the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) "redouble their support for Governments in the Region, as well as sub-regional and regional organizations, to address the impact of Boko Haram and ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] violence on the peace and stability of the Region, including by addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, and violent extremism that can be conducive to terrorism, in line with the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy ".

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