"Military chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) finalised a 1,650-member regional military force in Freetown on Friday, aimed at combating terrorism and protecting constitutional order across West Africa, as the region faces escalating extremist violence and growing threats of militant coups. Footage shows regional military chiefs at the closing ceremony of the event, where members reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering military cooperation, intelligence sharing and collective security against terrorism and transnational threats in West Africa. “The Commission is standing here today bringing us all together to ensure that we work in unity and in collaboration to leverage our individual capacities," explained Lieutenant General Amara Idara Bangura, Chair of ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff. “The Committee of Chiefs of Defence have made very concrete progress on the pathway to our infrastructure against terrorism in our region by agreeing and making pledges in terms of capabilities," said Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, adding that funding for the force had been established during the meeting. Meanwhile, three other West African nations -Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger- formed the Sahel States Alliance (AES) in 2023 as a defence pact, announcing their joint withdrawal from ECOWAS the following year. They had accused ECOWAS of being under the thrall of foreign, former-colonial powers, ordering France to withdraw its forces from their territory in order to address security challenges posed by terrorist and extremist groups independently. Defence, security, development, and foreign affairs ministers of the AES approved the draft ‘Year II Roadmap’ during a high-level meeting in Ouagadougou on Thursday. The plan also looks to build on the complete withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger - a break with French influence. Reports from Russian intelligence earlier this month suggested that President Emmanuel Macron was authorising ops to eliminate 'undesirable leaders' - while Paris did not react. "