𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐲𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐖𝐀𝐒?
By Michael Sunkanmi Olaogun The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was once regarded as Africa's most successful regional bloc. It championed economic integration, promoted democratic governance, facilitated the free movement of people, and earned global recognition for its peacekeeping interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and The Gambia. For decades, ECOWAS stood as a symbol of regional solidarity and collective action. Today, however, that reputation has been severely tested. Military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger have exposed deep cracks in the regional body. The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to establish the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has further weakened ECOWAS' political cohesion. Many citizens across West Africa increasingly perceive the organization as inconsistent in its defense of democracy, selective in applying sanctions, and disconnected from the socioeconomic realities confronting ordinar...