The Economic Community of West African States Tuesday raised alarm over the 7.6 million humanitarian crisis within the region.
ECOWAS Commission’s President, Omar Alieu Touray who quoted the recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa as of October 2025, which stated that approximately 7.6 million individuals have been forcibly displayed and an additional 1,094,742 refugees and asylum seekers.
“Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa indicates that as of October 2025, approximately 7.6 million individuals are forcibly displaced across the region, reflecting an increase from 7.4 million recorded in March 2025. Of this total, 6,506,270 are internally displaced persons (IDPs), with Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali accounting for the highest figures. Additionally, there are 1,094,742 refugees and asylum seekers.
The breakdown of asylum seekers shows that the ten countries hosting the largest populations, in descending order, are Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Senegal, and Gambia. We must therefore take decisions and actions that will reverse this trend.”
Touray assured citizens of the community that the commission “will continue to work harder to promote a peaceful, stable and stronger region for the overall benefit of Community citizens.” “Let us all remain committed to preserving regional unity, advancing peace, and upholding the Community’s Constitutional Convergence Principles,” he added.
He was positive that the gathering, through its robust engagement of the items on the agenda, will be having informed and constructive recommendations, for the attention of the Heads of State and Government who are to convene afterwards.
