Resurgence of Coup D’état in West Africa and Democratic Consolidation: Assessing the Role of ECOWAS

Over the years, there has been a continuous campaign for the adoption of democracy and democratic principles in not just Africa but in the world all over. This is owing to the inherent feature of fundamental human right in democracy. After about two decades which democracy has survived in Africa, recent resurgence of military coup seems to have thwarted democratic consolidation particularly in West African sub-region. This is exemplified by the recent military coup in Chad, Burkina-Faso, Mali, Sudan, Niger, Gabon, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. This trend is worrisome because of its contagious nature; as it has the potential to persist in the region by escalating from one country to another. However, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a sub-regional organization serving as a watchdog for the West African sub-region has a crucial role to play in maintaining democracy in the region. From the foregoing, this paper examined the resurgence of coup d’état in West Africa and the role of ECOWAS in sustaining democratic consolidation in the West African sub-region. Qualitative Research approach was adopted for the study; hence, secondary source of data was used for the study. Explanatory method of data analysis was adopted in analyzing the data. The result of the study revealed that the recent resurgence of military coup in West Africa is as a result of leadership failure which has led to disruption of democratic institutions and democratic consolidation in West African countries. The study recommends that in order to ensure the sustainability of democratic government in West Africa amidst the resurgence of coup d’état, ECOWAS should intensify effort in enhancing democratic, effective, transparent and corruption-free governance among member-states and as well be steadfast in issuing and enforcing serious sanction on any country or leader that violate the core principles of democracy and good governance in West Africa sub-region.