History of ECOWAS Military Interventions
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is an organization of West African nations that is officially an economic group, but has a long history of military interventions in the region. Below is a list of ECOWAS military interventions, from the Liberian Civil War in 1990 to the 2023 Niger Crisis.
ECOWAS members include:
Benin
Burkina Faso (suspended)
Cape Verde
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea (suspended)
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Liberia
Mali (suspended)
Niger (suspended)
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
Liberia (1990-1996): ECOWAS intervened following an uprising led by militia leader Charles Taylor. A civil war ensued, with ECOWAS supporting the government. ECOWAS troops came from Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, and Mali.
Sierra Leone (1997-1998): Following a coup against the elected civilian government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah by Major Johnny Paul Koroma, ECOWAS forces entered the capital of Freetown (arriving from neighboring Liberia) to support the elected government. The rebels were a group called the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). In February 1998, ECOMOG attacked RUF forces and returned Kabbah to power.
Guinea-Bissau (1999): In the midst of the Guinea-Bissau Civil War, which was sparked by a coup attempt, ECOWAS sent in a force of peacekeepers to help with the deal that ended the fighting.
Côte d’Ivoire (2003): Following the conclusion of the Côte d’Ivoire Civil War, ECOWAS provided a peacekeeping force, alongside French peacekeepers.
Liberia (2003): During the Second Liberian Civil War, ECOWAS provided peacekeepers to keep the warring parties separate.
Mali (2013): The Mali War began with a coup, and devolved into another Tuareg rebellion, with a Jihadist (ISIS/al-Qaida) element mixed in. Under United Nations authorization, ECOWAS sent in troops to fight from Nigeria, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Niger and Burkina Faso. France also supplied troops, and the United States and United Kingdom provided aid, training, and logistics.
Gambia (2017-2021): Operation Restore Democracy” was an ECOWAS operation led by Senegal that intervened in Gambia to force out the sitting president, who had lost an election and refused to turn over power to his democratically-elected rival.
Niger (2023): As of August 26, 2023, ECOWAS is threatening an invasion of Niger in response to a military coup that occurred on July 26, 2023. ECOWAS, France, and the United States all oppose the new military junta, while Mali, Burkina Faso, and Algeria (all military dictatorships also) are indicating support for the Nigerien junta. Added to all this, the junta has told France to remove all troops, while inviting in Russian Wagner mercenaries.
Niger is also dealing with a Jihadist war which is part of the larger Sahel Jihadist Insurgency.
