ECOWAS Parliament Orders Probe Into Terror Attacks in West Africa and Rising Xenophobia in South Africa

West Africa’s regional lawmakers have moved to confront two escalating security crises, ordering an official investigation into rising terror attacks across the sub-region alongside renewed xenophobic violence targeting African migrants in South Africa.

The decision was reached on Tuesday during the First 2026 ECOWAS Parliament Ordinary Session held in Abuja, where lawmakers debated urgent security concerns affecting citizens within and outside the bloc.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Ghanaian MP and Third Deputy Speaker, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who described the situation as a matter of “urgent direct and profound importance.”

Lawmakers subsequently directed the Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs to examine recent terrorist incidents in countries including Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as attacks on ECOWAS nationals in South Africa.

Afenyo-Markin told the chamber that insecurity and cross-border violence were increasingly undermining the promise of regional integration and free movement.

“A regional community that cannot protect its own citizens in transit has not yet earned its name,” he said.

He referenced several violent incidents, including a February 14 attack in northern Burkina Faso in which 18 Ghanaian traders were killed after militants intercepted their vehicle, separating passengers before executing them and burning the truck.

“These were not statistics. They were breadwinners, fathers and sons, the quiet engines of the regional supply chain that feeds our markets,” he added.

The Ghanaian lawmaker also highlighted a recent attack in Mali that claimed the life of Defence Minister Gen. Sadio Camara, warning that such violence has disrupted key regional trade routes.

He noted that Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry had expressed concerns over the safety of travel along the Ghana–Mali corridor due to worsening insecurity.

Afenyo-Markin criticised what he described as the weak enforcement of ECOWAS’ Free Movement Protocol, saying citizens continue to face harassment despite longstanding regional agreements.

“The daily reality of our citizens contradicts the promise at every turn,” he said.

Beyond West Africa, the motion also drew attention to xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where migrants from Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia have reportedly been killed, displaced and had their businesses looted in recent outbreaks.

While acknowledging recent public statements by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemning xenophobia, Afenyo-Markin insisted that stronger and more decisive action is needed.

“Words delivered from a ceremonial platform do not arrest a single perpetrator,” he said, urging investigations and prosecutions.

The ECOWAS Parliament also called for formal engagement with South Africa’s parliament and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to address the situation and ensure accountability.

The move signals growing pressure within the regional bloc to strengthen security coordination and improve protection for West African citizens both at home and abroad.