The ECOWAS Parliament has ordered an investigation into escalating terrorist attacks across West Africa and the ongoing xenophobic attacks targeting African migrants in South Africa.
The decision was taken during the First 2026 ECOWAS Parliament Ordinary Session in Abuja after Ghanaian MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin raised what he described as a matter of “urgent direct and profound importance.”
Lawmakers directed the Committee on Political Affairs to investigate recent terror attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, alongside xenophobic violence in South Africa affecting ECOWAS citizens.
Afenyo-Markin cited the killing of 18 Ghanaian traders by Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Burkina Faso and condemned the repeated attacks, looting, and displacement of Nigerians, Ghanaians, Zimbabweans, Ethiopians, and other Africans in South Africa.
He also criticized ECOWAS for failing to fully protect free movement across the region, saying citizens continue to face harassment, violence, and insecurity despite regional agreements.
“The safety of our people must never be a matter open to devastation,” he said.
