Ecowas In Crisis: Why West Africa’s United Front Is In Tatters

#africanews #ecowas 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.