Source: IE
Context: In the ongoing crisis in Niger, where a military coup ousted the president, ECOWAS has been active.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional bloc established in 1975 with the goal of promoting economic integration among its 15 member countries in West Africa.
Members: These countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo.
Aim: ECOWAS aims to achieve a single common currency and create a large trading bloc in various sectors like industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, finance, and culture.
- The organization is committed to democratic principles, the rule of law, and good governance.
Actions taken:
- ECOWAS has a history of intervening in conflicts within the region, having deployed peacekeeping forces and playing roles in resolving conflicts in countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone.
- It suspended members like Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso following coups in those countries, refusing to recognize their new governments.
