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Ecowas' dilemma: Balancing principles and pragmatism – West Africa's regional bloc faces disintegration after failed sanctions against military regimes

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The decision by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to leave Ecowas reflects the bloc’s failure to address security and humanitarian issues in the subregion. It is also a result of people losing faith in Ecowas’ leadership after years of complacency and inconsistency in championing its democratic principles. Pragmatic dialogue with the member states currently run by military regimes will be crucial if regional collaboration is to be revived. And defending democratic values will be crucial if civilian rule and popular trust are to be restored.

When Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, was founded in 1975, it focused (as the name implies) primarily on promoting economic integration. But over the years – and notably following the revision of the Ecowas Treaty in 1993 and the adoption in 2001 of its supplementary protocol on democracy and good governance – democracy promotion has become a critical area of concern.

However, it has been a significant challenge to ensure that member states comply with democratic norms, especially over the past three years, as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger have all experienced democratic reversals. The four military juntas currently in power have used popular mobilisation against growing insecurity and systemic corruption as justification for the unconstitutional changes of government. In response, Ecowas has sought on the one hand to enforce compliance with its democratic norms, and on the other to involve the three junta-led Sahel states in ad hoc cooperation to ensure continuity in the security initiatives intended to deal with the growing threat of jihadist movements in the Sahel. As a consequence of this delicate balancing act, negotiating the pitfalls created through the inconsistent enforcement of its democratic ethos has undermined the organisation’s credibility. Nearly 50 years of integration processes are under threat of significant reversal.