Laurent Gbagbo urges ECOWAS to set up regional counterterrorism brigade

Laurent Gbagbo, Cote d’Ivoire’s ex-leader, has called on regional grouping ECOWAS to establish counter-terrorism brigade to curtail terrorism that has plagued the region.
Gbagbo was speaking at a meeting of his party PPA-CI, at Bayota, a town in south-central Ivory Coast.
“The problem in the Sahel today is the jihadists,” he said.
For a 77-year old political figure, the brigade will help address two things: enhance the fight against “jihadists, defect, banditry-terrorism”, and on the other hand, avoid calling for help, European troops.
Several countries in the region have been grappling with terrorism. The situation has pushed leaders of the region to pledge the establishment last year of a multiple-millions of dollars fund to be used to finance the fight against terrorism.
The former leader, Faapa news agency reports, also urged the regional leaders not to always give “nasty orders” to force the current leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso to hold elections, but rather, to fight against this “new phenomenon” in West Africa, which is jihadism.
Both countries were sanctioned regional bodies after the armies of both countries toppled last year and in 2021 democratically elected leaders.
“Once we have solved this problem, we can talk about other things,” he said.