Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

ECOWAS and Military Interventions and Political Instability in West Africa: The Burkina Faso Experience

Obinna Godswill Sunday, Okeh, Goodluck Chigozie

Abstract

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), established in 1975, has evolved from a regional economic bloc into a central actor in peace and security within West Africa. This paper examines ECOWAS's effectiveness in addressing political instability through military interventions, with a particular focus on Burkina Faso. The study situates ECOWAS’s actions within its institutional frameworks, notably the 1999 Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, and the 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. Despite its strong normative stance against unconstitutional changes of government, ECOWAS’s interventions in Burkina Faso highlight critical strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, suspensions, sanctions, and diplomatic mediation signal its commitment to democratic norms; on the other hand, limited enforcement capacity, internal divisions, and reliance on external partners undermine credibility and long-term impact. The resurgence of coups in Burkina Faso demonstrates the persistent challenges of governance deficits, citizen discontent, and regional insecurity. Findings suggest that while ECOWAS interventions can produce tactical successes, sustainable stability requires deeper institutional reforms, consistent rule enforcement, and stronger integration of security measures with democratic consolidation. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to enhance ECOWAS’s legitimacy, coherence, and effectiveness in safeguarding regional peace.

Keywords

Military InterventionPolitical InstabilityECOWAS

References

Adebajo, A. (2010). The curse of Berlin: Africa after the Cold War. Columbia University Press. Adebajo, A. (2021). Regional organizations and peacekeeping in Africa: Lessons from ECOWAS. In P. Williams (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of peacekeeping in Africa (pp. 301–318). Oxford University Press. Afoaku, O. G. (2022). Regional legitimacy and communication strategies in African multilateral diplomacy. African Journal of International Affairs, 29(2), 45–63. Africa Center for Strategic Studies. (2023). Burkina Faso coup deepens Sahel instability. Africa Center. https://africacenter.org Afrobarometer. (2022). Africans’ perceptions of regional organizations. Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 497. https://afrobarometer.org Agbiboa, D. E. (2022). The soldier and the state in Africa: A comparative analysis of coup dynamics. Routledge. Akokpari, J. (2020). Regionalism and mediation fatigue in Africa: Lessons from ECOWAS interventions. Conflict Trends, 2020(3), 15–23. Aning, K. (2017). The politics of regional security: ECOWAS and the dynamics of sanctions and intervention. Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) Policy Brief, 4(3), 1–12. Aning, K., & Bah, A. M. S. (2019). ECOWAS and the crises of legitimacy and capacity in West Africa. African Security Review, 28(1), 27–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/10246029.2019.1595393 Bah, A. B. (2020). Regional intervention and democratic consolidation: ECOWAS in The Gambia. Journal of Modern African Studies, 58(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X19000409 Bellamy, A. J. (2015). The responsibility to protect: A defense. Oxford University Press. Buzan, B., & Wæver, O. (2003). Regions and powers: The structure of international security. Cambridge University Press. Chandler, D. (2022). Rethinking intervention in the 21st century. Global Policy, 13(3), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13102 De Waal, A. (2015). The real politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, war and the business of power. Polity Press. Digital Diplomacy and Military Coup in Africa. (2025). Policy Brief Series on Governance and Security in Africa, 7(1), 1–15. SEAHi Publications. Dwyer, M. (2021). Peacekeeping abroad, politics at home: ECOWAS and the Gambia intervention. African Affairs, 120(479), 231–255. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adaa030 Economic Community of West African States. (1999). Protocol relating to the mechanism for conflict prevention, management, resolution, peacekeeping and security. Abuja: ECOWAS. ECOWAS Peace and Security Department. (2022). Annual report on peace and security in West Africa. ECOWAS Commission. ECOWAS. (1999). Mechanism for conflict prevention, management, resolution, peacekeeping and security. Economic Community of West African States. https://www.ecowas.int ECOWAS. (2001). Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on democracy and good governance (Supplementary to the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security). Economic Community of West African States. https://www.ecowas.int Feldman, N. (2016). Intervention and sovereignty: Law and politics in global governance. International Journal of Constitutional Law, 14(2), 370–392. https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/mow018 Francis, D. J. (2018). African peacekeeping and emerging security architecture. Ashgate Publishing. Hoffman, D. (2020). The crisis in Burkina Faso: Jihadist insurgency and state fragility. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 31(7–8), 1230–1254. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2020.1778452 Hussain, M. (2024). Political instability and governance crises in developing states: Rethinking institutional resilience. Third World Quarterly, 45(1), 67–85. International Crisis Group. (2024). West Africa’s coups and the future of ECOWAS. ICG Africa Briefing. https://crisisgroup.org Jannils, J. (2021). Defining political instability: Leadership transitions, governance crises, and economic consequences. Journal of Political Studies, 28(4), 455–478. Jaye, T. (2025). Sanctions, state fragility, and the legitimacy dilemma in West Africa. SEAHi Publications. Kamga, R. (2021). The fall of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré: Explaining Burkina Faso’s 2022 coup. African Security Review, 30(3), 205–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/10246029.2021.2002912 Kohnert, D. (2023). ECOWAS, coups, and regional governance crises in the Sahel. German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Working Paper, 367, 1–20. Kohnert, D. (2023). Russia and the new scramble for Africa: Implications for West African security. Africa Spectrum, 58(2), 119–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397231164452 Monga, C. (2011). The politics of instability in Africa: Burkina Faso revisited. Brookings Institution Press. Niwe, M. (2023). ECOWAS and hybrid security threats in the Sahel: Lessons from the Mali intervention. African Security, 16(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392206.2023.2165745 Obi, C. (2009). Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): From regional security to peacebuilding. Nordic Africa Institute Discussion Paper, 42, 1–34. Oluwadare, A. J. (2019). ECOWAS and conflict management in West Africa: The case of Mali crisis. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, 14(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1542316619833370 Osei-Tutu, J. (2023). Normative decline and the erosion of deterrence in ECOWAS’s peace and security framework. African Journal of Political Science, 30(2), 91–108. Ouattara, M. (2017). Popular uprisings and democratic transitions in Burkina Faso. Journal of Democracy in Africa, 4(2), 55–74. Rashid, K., & Rashid, A. (2024). Cycles of vulnerability: Understanding political instability in fragile democracies. Democratization, 31(2), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2023.2281122 Reuters. (2024, January 29). Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger quit ECOWAS. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com SEAHi Publications. (2025). Evaluating ECOWAS sanctions: Effectiveness and unintended consequences in the Sahel region. SEAHi Policy Series, 12(1), 1–22. Sunday, O. G., & Semudara, O. C. (2024). Resurgence of coup d’état in Africa in an era of mass democratisation: A study of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali experiences. African Journal of Law, Political Research and Administration 7(4), 49-62. Sunday, O.G. (2025). Military intervention and democratization in Africa: A study of the Republic of Niger, 2010-2023. Master's Dissertation, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education.

More Articles from JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LEADERSHIP RESEARCH

The Political Economy of Party Defection in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

Author: Michun Wakili Dickson, Sabo Okonu 3Irene Chinasa Kekeocha-Christopher

Leadership Support Systems and Organizational Growth in Deposit Money Banks: Evidence from Rivers State, Nigeria

Author: Anireh, Uchenna Nicholas, Onwuanaku, Blessing, Happiness Nwanyi Elekwachi

The Challenges of Adopting the Responsibility to Protect in the Russian/Ukraine War

Author: Richard ThankGod Wabali Chimezie Chukwuemeka Eze