How do regional security and the fight against terrorism relate to human rights in the ECOWAS states?
In preparation for the upcoming ECOWAS counter-terrorism summit on 14 September 2019 in Ouagadougou/Burkina Faso, national representatives of 14 West African Human Rights Commissions gathered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on 11 and 12 September 2019. Organised by the "Conseil National des Droits de l'Homme de Côte d'Ivoire (CNDHCI)" in cooperation with the Regional Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Abidjan, the participants exchanged their views in different panels and discussion formats on the protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism. It was emphasised that cooperation between security forces and civil society must be improved since counter-terrorism efforts cannot only be carried out by the military and the police as the civil society also has an important role to play. Participants stressed that the challenging labour market in West Africa and a lack of prospects are causes of terrorism. At the end of the two-day workshop, the participants finalised concrete recommendations for action addressed to the heads of state and government of the ECOWAS community.
