At a summit this week, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided to create a regional peacekeeping force to combat terrorism and restore democracy in countries that have had military coups.
The chiefs of defense staff of the member countries will command the ECOWAS standby force, which has the stated objective of combating terrorism and coup attempts within ECOWAS members.
Additionally, the army will aid in restoring democratic rule in areas where coups have already occurred.
Political analyst Rotimi Olawale, who is based in Abuja, said the peacekeeping force is a positive step.
“ECOWAS has experience assembling peacekeeping forces.
In the 1990s, ECOWAS gained notoriety for founding ECOMOG, which was in charge of reestablishing peace and order in several nations, including Liberia, “Olawale declared.
“It’s a positive trend, especially in light of the rise in violent extremism we’re witnessing in western Africa.
This peacekeeping team is required to respond to two parallel issues, which could provide a problem.”
The 15-member West African bloc has had numerous coups in the past two years, including two this year in Burkina Faso and ones in Mali and Guinea. The three nations are no longer able to participate in ECOWAS decision-making bodies.
Leaders of ECOWAS claim that the coups have reversed decades of progress toward democracy in the area and given it a reputation for instability.
The security services of the various ECOWAS member countries are finding it challenging to deal with terrorist fighters who cross borders.
There will be early difficulties, according to Chidi Omeje, a security analyst and editor-in-chief of Security Digest newspapers.
“You don’t even know the bounds of this form of warfare, let alone who your enemies are. So how would such a reserve army be able to recognize enemies?” stated Omeje. We have the anglophone and the francophone, and these two groups are usually suspicious of one another because they approach one other from different perspectives.
Olawale concurred that it will be difficult to reestablish calm and order.
“There have been instances where the current governments of several of these nations have violated their constitutions to prolong the tenure of the incumbent. Public sentiment in several of the countries is in favor of using force to establish a new beginning, “Olawale declared.
“I believe that ECOWAS must exercise extreme caution when handling coups. If there is no support from the general public, particularly from the local populace, there will be many issues.”
The West African group demanded this week that the 46 Ivorian soldiers who were dispatched to Mali to support the UN peacekeeping deployment but have been detained since July be released.
The ECOWAS defense chiefs will meet in January to debate the future of the peacekeeping force.
