Get Guardian on GoogleThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has cautioned African countries against turning security sector reforms into instruments for settling political scores, calling for inclusive and constructive approaches to strengthening security institutions across the continent.
The warning was delivered during the eighth meeting of the African Union Steering Committee on Security Sector Reform (SSR), held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The ECOWAS Permanent Representation to the African Union participated in the meeting, which reviewed progress made by member states and assessed the AU’s strategic support for security sector reform processes across Africa.
In its account of the meeting, ECOWAS said its Permanent Representative urged participants to ensure that security sector reform remained inclusive and constructive, warning that the process must not be perceived or used as a means of settling scores against any individual or group.
The position highlights the importance of maintaining the credibility of security reforms at a time when African countries face complex governance and security challenges requiring stronger, accountable and effective institutions.
Security sector reform generally involves restructuring and strengthening institutions responsible for national security, including the armed forces, police, intelligence services and other security agencies.
The process is intended to improve professionalism, accountability, civilian oversight and respect for the rule of law, while ensuring that security institutions respond to the needs of citizens.
The meeting also reviewed joint initiatives undertaken by the AU and ECOWAS, particularly capacity-building programmes for parliamentarians on security sector reform.
Two workshops were highlighted: one held in Dakar, Senegal, in June 2026, and another organised in Bo, Sierra Leone, in October.
The training programmes were aimed at strengthening the capacity of lawmakers to contribute to oversight and accountability in the security sector.
Other issues discussed at the meeting included the dissemination of the African Union’s Operational Guidance Note on Oversight and Accountability and the finalisation of another guidance document on mediation and security sector reform.
Participants also considered follow-up measures arising from recommendations of the Fourth African Forum on Security Sector Reform, held in Addis Ababa in November 2025.
The Steering Committee unanimously adopted the report of its seventh meeting at the opening of the latest session.
ECOWAS’s intervention reinforces the importance of political neutrality, institutional accountability and broad participation in security sector reform, particularly in countries where changes to security institutions can become entangled in political tensions.
The regional bloc’s position also points to the need for stronger parliamentary oversight and safeguards to ensure that reforms strengthen public institutions rather than weaken confidence in them.
