West African juntas are the products of Ecowas failures
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), which was set up to promote trade and good governance across the region, recently marked its 50th anniversary. But it was hardly an auspicious birthday: vast swathes of the region are contending with jihadist insurgents and military takeovers have democracy in retreat. In its wake, a generation of young, ambitious – and unelected – military leaders has emerged, strongmen who are proving popular with those weary of instability and state inaction. Since the start of 2025, the bloc has shed three member states as the military governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso opted out. At the exact moment that West Africa needs greater co-operation, Ecowas and its noble founding ideals of stability and liberalism appear increasingly out of touch.
The problem is that Ecowas and its members have failed to practice what they preach. Time and again, governments have shown their inability to tackle the terror groups roiling the region and worsening cost-of-living crises. The bloc has been indifferent to both presidents sneaking in an extra third term in office and dodgy elections. The juntas taking over West Africa are therefore the products of Ecowas failures rather than the cause of them: fertile ground for groups who believe that they can run things better. Russian propaganda has also played its part in the rise of these factions; a recent 36-minute deepfake of Pope Leo XIV heaping praise on Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré has been attributed to the Kremlin’s disinformation machine. That anyone believes such blatant propaganda speaks to a loss of faith in the democratic status quo.
To survive, Ecowas needs to move beyond the empty democratic rhetoric that has seen it become a club for entrenched octogenarian politicians. The bloc should stand up for what it believes in, stop rubber-stamping irregular elections and stand against constitutional violations. It also needs to urgently mobilise collective resources towards fighting insurgencies. It is not enough to lecture people about the woes of military dictatorship when the alternatives are not working. If Ecowas wants to see military juntas replaced by elected governments, it needs to return to its core mission: to uplift the region – and renew itself in the process.
Ope Adetayo is a Monocle contributor based in Abuja, Nigeria. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.
