The announcement, made by ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray at its 55th session of the Mediation and Security Council, cited the rising number of security threats and a deteriorating political environment.

This follows the recent deployment of an ECOWAS Standby Force to Benin after an aborted coup in the West African country. It also comes on the heels of a military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, which annulled the results of a presidential election.