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2. ECOWAS and the management of political transitions in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso: Adopting a three-dimensional approach for stability and sustainable democracy and development
- Author:
- Mubin Adewumi Bakare
- Publication Date:
- 11-2023
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Conflict Trends
- Institution:
- The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
- Abstract:
- According to the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, 2021 was a year marked by ‘an epidemic’ of coups.1 The Economist noted that 2021 saw more coups than the previous five years combined.2 Scrutinising the data further reveals that the West African region experienced the largest number of military coups, both successful and failed, during 2021 and 2022. There were four successful coups d’état in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, and failed coup attempts and mutiny in Niger and Guinea Bissau between March 2021 to January 2022. This democratic reversal portends political instability, and its attendant economic consequences for the ECOWAS are concerning considering the developmental agenda of the region.3 The focus of this article is examining measures for strengthening democratic transitions in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso by analysing responses at the national, regional and international levels to ensure rapid restoration of constitutional order. It begins by reviewing the experience of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in supporting democratic transition in the region, while stressing and recognising the interlinkages between defence, development and peacebuilding in laying the foundation for democratisation, peace and sustainable development. The article will advance certain policy prescriptions that entail long-term investments by the international community, and regional and civil society actors in West Africa in the areas of defence, development and peacebuilding, as part of a comprehensive support towards successful democratic transition in the affected countries.
- Topic:
- Development, Politics, Democracy, Transition, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso
3. Military coup in Niger: The legacies of colonialism and the US War on Terror in West Africa
- Author:
- Christopher Zambakari
- Publication Date:
- 11-2023
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Conflict Trends
- Institution:
- The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
- Abstract:
- Niger is nearly 500 000 square miles of landlocked country bordered by no less than seven neighbouring states. It is a country saddled with a history of military interventions. However, most recently, under the leadership of President Mohamed Bazoum, it has been regarded as a ‘model of stability’ and ‘model of democracy’ in a region marred by political instability.1 Bazoum’s election in 2021 and the subsequent peaceful transition of power raised expectations of democratic rule and a renewed commitment to good governance. However, the military coup shattered those prospects and exposed the fragility of democracy in West Africa. In the current political upheaval, the key players include not just the domestic military forces, but also international powers. A legacy of French colonialism and the US Global War on Terror looms large over the region, casting its shadow on a complex narrative.2 However, the militarised ambitions of both regional and global actors prevail in West Africa and Niger again is caught in the crosshairs. As one considers the nuances of the situation, two compelling questions emerge: How has the militarisation of West Africa, explored through the lens of the War on Terror, set the stage for the recent coup in Niger, and what does this upheaval signify for the future of the region?3 Amidst the shifts in power, a closer examination of conflict connections and motivations reveals hidden agendas, geopolitical strategic moves, and the struggle for control in Niger.
- Topic:
- Geopolitics, Colonialism, War on Terror, Coup, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Niger, and United States of America
4. Climate Change and Natural Resource Conflict in ECOWAS and ECCAS Regions: Implications for State Security Forces
- Author:
- Freedom Onuoha, Oluwole Ojewale, and Joseph Chukwunonso Akogwu
- Publication Date:
- 12-2023
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- African Journal on Conflict Resolution
- Institution:
- The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
- Abstract:
- Climate change has emerged as the imminent threat to national security in many regions of the world. Nowhere is this reality more acute than in West and Central Africa where surging population growth, rising urbanisation, persistent environmental degradation, emergence of violent extremist organisations and weak state capacity have created a perfect storm of insecurity. It is against this backdrop that this article examines the nexus and dynamics of climate change and natural resource conflicts in ECOWAS and ECCAS regions, with a view to highlighting its security implications. This study notes that climate change contributes to increased conflict, but along indirect pathways. Across the two regions, climate change is experienced through rising temperatures, droughts and destructive floods, which greatly undermine people’s well-being and compound the fragility of states. This calls for the capacitation of state security forces through orientation and training that foster good understanding of the complex relationship between climate change, peace and security. The study concludes by offering strategic recommendations and policy directions to effectively tackle the climate change and natural resource conflict challenges in the contiguous regions.
- Topic:
- Security, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources, Conflict, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Sahel
5. Military Intervention in Niger: Imperatives and Caveats
- Author:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Publication Date:
- 09-2023
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- Driven by various considerations, ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily in Niger to repel the coup, but the complexities of the situation may hinder or even prevent it from achieving its objectives.
- Topic:
- Military Intervention, Coup, Regional Security, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Niger
6. French Anticipation: Algerian mediation between Mali and the ECOWAS
- Author:
- FARAS
- Publication Date:
- 02-2022
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Future for Advanced Research and Studies (FARAS)
- Abstract:
- On January 24, 2022, an Algerian delegation arrived in Bamako, the capital of Mali, led by the Algeria’s special envoy for the Sahel and Africa Boudjemaa Delmi. The visit was part of the initiative proposed by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to mediate between Mali and the members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to resolve the tension which has escalated between the two parties following the strict sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS on Bamako. The sanctions were imposed in response to the decision of Mali's junta to extend the transition period for five more years.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, African Union, Mediation, Regional Politics, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa, France, Algeria, and Mali
7. Political Reforms and Implications for Democracy and Instability in West Africa: The Way Forward for ECOWAS and Member States
- Author:
- Mubin Adewumi Bakare
- Publication Date:
- 03-2021
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Conflict Trends
- Institution:
- The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
- Abstract:
- With the restoration of democratic order in the Gambia in 2017, the West African region regained the attention of the world with renewed hope and optimism for democratic consolidation in Africa. The Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) rejection of the undemocratic retention of power by former President Yahya Jammeh and its threat to apply force, coupled with Gambians’ resistance, resulted in the restoration of democratic order in the country. Similarly, ECOWAS’ preventive diplomacy efforts following the recent military incursion in 2021 affirmed the regional body’s zero-tolerance stance for power acquired through unconstitutional means. The practice of accessing political power through credible elections under the watch of civil society and international actors is progressively taking firm root across the region. However, despite these democratic gains, the region is also witnessing setbacks in emerging political developments across Member States. According to the Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World Report 2021’, of the 12 countries with the most significant decline in democracy year-on-year, five are in West Africa.[1] The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index (2020) showed that only Ghana and Cabo Verde still qualify as fully-fledged democracies in the region.[2] Recently, the region has also witnessed a resurgence in military interregna in Mali and Guinea. This democracy backsliding portends political instability, and its attendant economic consequences for the ECOWAS is concerning considering the developmental agenda of the region. Central to this negative democratic trend are concerns around political reforms that have undermined electoral integrity, inclusiveness and legitimacy in Member States. The application of some of these reforms has fuelled crises, which have led to the resurgence of coups d’état and threatened stability, peace and security in the region.
- Topic:
- Politics, Governance, Reform, Democracy, Instability, Peacebuilding, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa and West Africa
8. The Economic Community of Central African States and Conflicts in the Region
- Author:
- ACCORD
- Publication Date:
- 08-2021
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Conflict Trends
- Institution:
- The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
- Abstract:
- Conflict is a complex phenomenon that dwells in the domain of human relations. It rears its head when interests clash, opinions differ, needs fail to be met, agreements are breached, and the parties involved fail to find common ground for peace, or to continue relating to one another. Conflict can mutate and develop new dimensions. It can occur at the interpersonal, sectional, racial, ethnoreligious, national, regional, continental and international levels. Wars start as smaller-scale conflicts. Once a certain group in a given population continues to feel aggrieved, marginalised, frustrated or threatened, conflicts will likely arise. But human societies also make efforts to prevent conflicts before they occur, manage them when they do, and resolve them to sustain peace. Conflict handling thus includes the phases of prevention, management, and resolution. Prevention entails early efforts to avoid the occurrence of conflict. Management entails efforts to contain it. Resolution entails the de-escalation of conflict. It involves negotiation on the conditions or materials of dispute, reopening interaction, increasing cooperation, fostering positive attitudes, building trust, and sustaining peace among the parties.
- Topic:
- Economy, Conflict, Regional Politics, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Central Africa
9. ECOWAS' Efforts in Promoting South-South Cooperation Between its Member States and Global South Countries
- Author:
- Sidnoma Nita Belemsobgo
- Publication Date:
- 10-2021
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South
- Institution:
- Conjuntura Austral: Journal of the Global South
- Abstract:
- South-South Cooperation (SSC) is an innovative, forthright, and ambitious means to expand collaboration between countries with a similar economic profile. Over the past decade, it straightforwardly imposes within West African states’ practices. Indeed, as time passes, many countries have developed significant technical capacities and know-how that they can share. To formalise such sharing of experiences and best practices and raise it to another and higher level, it was essential to hand over this role to a supranational organisation with more tools and experience to coordinate the exchange. In that effect, In West Africa, states leaned towards the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which gathers 15 member states and which is the main catalyst for promoting exchanges and sharing within the sub-region. The study provides an overview of the South-South partnership promoted by ECOWAS on the economic and social aspects through an exploratory documentary study while providing the levers of development for this partnership. The study's main aim is to assess the importance of SSC for ECOWAS member states sustainable development. The specific objectives are: assess ECOWAS initiatives promoting SSC; provide some cases of success stories of good practices.
- Topic:
- Development, International Cooperation, Partnerships, Economy, and ECOWAS
- Political Geography:
- Africa and West Africa