
Navigating a path beyond regional division is essential for West Africa’s security
The split between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance of Sahel States (Alliance des États du Sahel – AES), formalized by the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS in January, represents a major political reconfiguration in West Africa. It threatens to exacerbate instability in the Sahel region, which has already been contending with widespread jihadist violence compounded by localized inter-communal tensions over land and resources.
Under the military juntas that seized power between 2020 and 2023, the three AES countries have abandoned many established structures for cooperation with their neighbours and resolutely turned away from the West in line with what they claim to be a rejection of external interferences and an assertion of sovereignty.… Seguir leyendo »