West Africa/ Political tremors in Abuja: How ECOWAS redefines its destiny at the shock summit on the crisis in Niger
The extraordinary ECOWAS summit held on Thursday 10 August 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria, discussed the crisis in Niger. ECOWAS, initially created to promote the economic development of its members, is now involved in political issues that go beyond its original mandate. Unlike its creation in 1975 and the additional charter of 1993, which focused on economic development and conflict management, ECOWAS is now involved in political and military actions.
How an organisation that was once focused on the free movement of people and goods has moved towards a political orientation, abandoning its economic goals of a common currency and regional industrialisation.
Although ECOWAS had previously intervened in countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, these interventions were considered to be beyond its remit.
The extraordinary summit on the crisis in Niger revealed differences within ECOWAS.
Some Member States, such as Ivory Coast, favoured immediate military intervention, while others called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed his appreciation for ECOWAS’s diplomatic efforts, suggesting that the US would not provide financial, logistical or military support in the event of military intervention.
Does ECOWAS have the means to carry out a military operation against some of its own members, notably Niger, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso?
France, which supports this military intervention by ECOWAS, would be the instigator of this Machiavellian plan in complicity with its allies, the heads of state of the sub-region.
But such an intervention would destabilise the entire West African region.
The African people, particularly within ECOWAS, must remain vigilant.
Eureka Kone
