Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is ECOWAS?
• What Kind of a Role has ECOWAS Played in the Region so far?
• What might ECOWAS do in Niger?
• ECOWAS and India

 

Why in News?

• In a recent coup, soldiers in the West African nation of Niger installed Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as head of state after ousting President Mohamed Bazoum.
• Apart from the expected international players, such as Russia and the US, the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been playing an active role.

 

What is ECOWAS?

• Also known as CEDEAO (in French), ECOWAS [HQ - Abuja, Nigeria] is the regional group established in 1975 through the Lagos Treaty - with a mandate of promoting economic integration among its members.
• ECOWAS’ larger aims are to have a single common currency and create a single, large trading bloc in areas of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, financial issues, and social and cultural matters.
• The vision of ECOWAS is the creation of a “borderless region” that is well-integrated and governed in accordance with the principles of democracy, rule of law and good governance.
• The new vision of ECOWAS is to move from an ECOWAS of States to an “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity to All” by 2050.
• Following coups in recent years in some of the biggest countries in the bloc - namely Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso - it suspended the three members and refused to recognise their new governments.

 

What Kind of a Role has ECOWAS Played in the Region so far?

• Beyond the goals of economic cooperation, ECOWAS has attempted to end military conflicts in the region.
• ECOWAS also operated a regional peacekeeping operation known as ECOMOG - Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, led by Nigeria in the 1990s and early 2000s.
  • Forces were first deployed in Liberia (1990) during the deadly civil war and in Sierra Leone (1997) when a democratically elected government was overthrown.
  • In 2017, it intervened in The Gambia after long time President Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after losing the elections.

 

What might ECOWAS do in Niger?

• ECOWAS has sent its troops to other countries but never to Niger. Incidentally, the ongoing Niger coup’s leader (Gen. Tchiani) has previously served as battalion commander for ECOWAS peacekeepers in Ivory Coast (2003).
• While the ECOWAS’ response so far has indicated a military intervention, the grouping faces many challenges.
• For instance,
  • Both Mali and Burkina Faso (neighbours of Niger run by military juntas) have shown support to the coup and would consider an attack on Niger as an attack on them as well.
  • The coups in these countries have been justified on the grounds of rising influence of terrorist forces and accompanying security challenges.
  • These countries have also been critical of the Western role to solve such issues.
• As these countries are also dealing with low economic growth prospects at the moment, there are doubts that economic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS can work.
• President (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) of the neighbouring nation of Nigeria now serves as the bloc's chair and has led the call for ECOWAS to take military action.
  • However, the Nigerian Senate has pushed back on approving his request for military deployment.

 

 

ECOWAS and India

• Both have strong ties with India achieving the status of Observer to ECOWAS in 2004.
• Since then, India has been extending Line of Credit (LOCs) to supplement its Focus Africa program along with aiding regional integration for ECOWAS.
• This resulted in additional opportunities for Indian companies to contribute in sectors such as energy, telecom and transportation in West Africa.
• ECOWAS has supported India’s claim to a seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

 

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Q1) What is the African Union (AU)?

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 and is guided by its vision of “An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.”

 

Q2) Who colonised the most African countries?

The British and French colonised more than 95% of the African continent. While Britain colonised 22 African states (in Eastern and Southern Africa), France colonised 20 (in the Western, Northern and parts of Central Africa).

 

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Source: What is ECOWAS, the West African bloc that could intervene in Niger’s coup?