Leaders from the West African bloc ECOWAS on Sunday elected Sierra Leone's president as its new leader as the region faces mounting unrest, military coups and subdued regional trade.

Sierra Leone's Julius Maada Bio took over the rotational chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu at a summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

The ECOWAS leaders met for the routine meeting as insurgents, exploiting strained relationships between countries in the region, are gaining ground in the Sahel and Lake Chad region.

Insurgents have recently intensified their offensives in the Sahel region, staging bloody raids in Mali, incursions into major cities in Burkina Faso and inflicting heavy losses on the army in Niger.

Spike in attacks

In the past weeks, summit host Nigeria has also witnessed a spike in attacks, targeting villagers and military bases.

In his address outgoing ECOWAS chairperson Tinubu pointed to the "stark and consistent challenges that continue to impede our aspirations."

"Among them at the moment are the security threats, violent extremism and other cross-border trends," the Nigerian president said.