Prior to 2020, when the waves of coups began across West Africa, everybody thought that the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, was to an extent, credible and capable of fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. Certainly, the bloc has had some failures in the past, which may have created doubt in the minds of some people about the credibility of the bloc, but then, it was still regarded as a symbol of regional unity, stability, and West African economic integration. However, the waves of coups which began in Mali and spread to Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad, and Niger, began to unravel the regional bloc and cast doubt on its credibility. Its actions regarding some of the coups have made the majority of the people in West Africa call the Bloc, nothing but a puppet organization serving their own interests and that of the West. But, that’s not even all. Recently, three countries, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso which are currently being ruled by military juntas, and were founding members of ECOWAS, made a decision that is shaking the very foundations of the bloc. These countries decided to withdraw from ECOWAS, ending their 49 years of membership. ECOWAS is indeed in trouble and is in greater trouble because, in addition to dealing with the withdrawal of three of its founding members, it also has to deal with another pressing issue and its response to the situation would determine how far the bloc has fallen.

On Thursday 8th of February, the West African foreign minister gathered in Abuja for an emergency meeting to deliberate not only on the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from the bloc but also to discuss what to do regarding the crisis in Senegal, which sparked as a result of the postponement of the election by President Macky Sall. The decision by the President of Senegal to postpone the election was shocking because Senegal has been regarded as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa. Immediately after the news about the decision by the President came out, ECOWAS released a statement that the Senegal President should reverse the decision. But is that all the bloc’s reaction to Senegal would be? Well, only the outcome of the emergency meeting would tell. But, the fact is that ECOWAS’s response to the crisis in Senegal is very critical because the action of the Senegalese President is a clear violation of the democratic principle that ECOWAS supposedly stands for. If, at the end of the day, the bloc does not respond as it should to the situation in Senegal, then it would indeed prove that the bloc has indeed fallen and Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger made the right decision to leave the bloc. But, how did it get to this point, where the credibility of ECOWAS seems to rest on its response to the crisis in Senegal?

Well, the fact is that ECOWAS had it coming but like Stanislas Zézé, an Ivorian business leader, said, ECOWAS has been overtaken by events, leaving it blind to changes in the economic and political environment. The founding purpose of ECOWAS in 1975 was to promote economic integration and improve the standard of living. But, take a look at all the 15 member countries that make up ECOWAS, does it look like the standard of living has been improved? Instead, each of these countries are faced with a staggering debt burden, low standard of living, poor infrastructures, and high rate of poverty. The masses in all these countries are suffering terribly from the bad decisions made by leaders whom they did not elect and who are the leaders of ECOWAS. Aside from promoting free trade and free movement among the member countries, what exactly has ECOWAS done in its 49 years of existence?

Defenders of ECOWAS would say that the bloc has had some success in protecting and deepening peace, stability, and democracy, which is part of its objective for promoting economic integration, and they are correct. In April 2012, for example, it negotiated the restoration of constitutional rule in Mali after the ousting of President Amadou Toumani Toure in a military coup. In September 2015 after a military putsch in Burkina Faso, ECOWAS facilitated the return of interim President Michel Kafando. In January 2017, it secured a democratic transition of power in The Gambia after longtime leader Yahya Jammeh, who had lost the December 2016 presidential election to current President Adama Barrow, tried to unlawfully remain in office. The question however still remains, how has ECOWAS helped in regional stability? Take a look at the Sahel, a part of West Africa, does it look like it’s stable? Aside from being known for its high level of poverty and poor level of development, the countries in the Sahel are currently known as the most dangerous places to visit because of the high level of insecurity. Jihadists and armed rebels have turned the Sahel into their playground, leading to the death of millions of people and the displacement of far more. Now, as a regional power, what exactly has ECOWAS done? The answer is nothing. Since the crisis in the Sahel began in 2013, the bloc has not offered to use its collective resources to help the situation. Maybe if it had, the insecurity would not be as prominent as it is. Without mincing words,Ibrahim Traore, President of Burkina Faso is right in saying that one of the reasons for withdrawing from the bloc is that ECOWAS has not offered to help combat the insecurity facing the Sahel countries.

Now, let’s talk about democracy. Defenders of the bloc would say that ECOWAS has been instrumental in promoting democracy, but is that truly correct? Does promoting democracy only mean taking a strong stance whenever there is a military takeover? What about constitutional coups when civilian governments manipulate the constitution to extend their stay in power? It happened in Guinea in 2020, allowing Alpha Conde to rule for a third term until he was ousted by the military. The same year, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara also secured a controversial third term in office after he won the October 31 presidential election, an election which everybody knows was not free and fair. In all this, how did ECOWAS respond to the situation? Were sanctions placed on Guinea and Ivory Coast? Of course not. ECOWAS didn’t even say anything tangible. Yet, when it comes to military coups, that’s when ECOWAS seems to have the power to defend democracy. Democracy is not just about elections but also about the people having the power to choose leaders who would represent their interests. Yet, ECOWAS which supposedly defends democracy has never responded to the elections in West African countries which have never been free and fair. More often than not, election results are manipulated and the people also end up with leaders whom they did not choose and who will lead them to greater despair. The current President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu who is also the leader of ECOWAS, is a good example of a President that was not the people’s choice, and today, Nigerian citizens are suffering from it.

Speaking of military coups, the different ways ECOWAS responded to the coups which occurred in five different countries in the region, again proves how double standards and biased the bloc has become. When the coups occurred in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, ECOWAS immediately responded with sanctions, suspension from the bloc, and even threatened to military intervene in Niger. But what was their response in Chad? Aside from a mere statement condemning Chad, what else did ECOWAS do? Nothing. This is because the coup in Chad had the backing of France. So, tell me, was Ibrahim Traore not correct when he said that ECOWAS has become a puppet of foreign interest? He certainly was. The only reason why ECOWAS threatened to militarily intervene in Niger was because France, the USA, and the international community were backing the decision.

The fact is Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are justified in their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS. In recent times, the bloc which is supposed to be a source of help to these countries has been a threat just like Ibrahim Traore said. Think about the fact that just because of the coup, Nigeria cut off electricity to Niger and closed its borders to stop goods from going into the country, as part of ECOWAS sanctions. Mali and Burkina Faso also faced similar economic sanctions. What do you think these sanctions have done to the economy of these countries? Is this how ECOWAS is promoting economic integration? Leaving the bloc would certainly help to alleviate the sanctions imposed on them which have caused severe hardship for the citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Civil societies and organizations have begun to call on ECOWAS to remove the sanctions which have been termed illegal and unfair and call for dialogue between the bloc and Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. It remains to be seen whether ECOWAS would do as they saw or not but if there are going to be any changes to the decision made by the three countries, ECOWAS would first have to prove that they are still credible and ready to fulfill the purpose for which they were created.

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