The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Resurgence of Military Coups in West Africa

Abstract

The military is designed to protect the polity, but national occurrences have motivated the same to take over political power via a coup to change the government. This study is set to explore the causes of military incursions in West Africa. The study is also to unravel the challenges that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has faced in the wake of military incursion into politics. Hence, many international organisations and individuals have resolved that the military must accept the authority of civilian rule. In other words, they may be responsible for carrying out a policy decision they disagree with. The rightness or wrongness of a policy or decision can be ambiguous. Civilian decision-makers may be impervious to corrective information. In practice, the relationship between civilian authorities and military leaders must be worked out. The qualitative method of data collection was adopted for this study. Content analysis is adopted in the analysis of this work. The theory of civil-military relations is chosen for the underpinnings of this study. The findings revealed that different countries in ECOWAS states have experienced military incursions whose causes are multifaceted. The causes range from historical government handling of conflicts to acts of impunity, among others. This situation has strained the relationships between member states in their political and socioeconomic engagements. The study therefore concludes that military incursion in politics in West Africa have caused setbacks for ECOWAS in their bid to achieve democracy, integration, and socioeconomic and sustainable development. It is then recommended that democratic institutions should be strengthened, which will help to address the root causes of instability. The leaders of member states should also be held accountable for upholding democratic principles. This study will help policymakers in the West African region foster democratic principles.