Regional integration at a crossroads: ECOWAS, the alliance of Sahel States and West Africa’s future

The establishment of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) casts doubt on the sustainability of five decades of regional integration efforts in West Africa. This article examines why the institutional response by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger led to those countries’ withdrawal and the formation of the AES. It also examines the implications of these developments for regional cooperation in West Africa. The article argues that ECOWAS’s enforcement of its Democracy and Good Governance Protocol relied overwhelmingly on suspension and sanctions. Although diplomatic engagement and shuttle diplomacy were later utilised, they came too late to restore compliance once the juntas ceased to recognise ECOWAS’s normative authority. The article concludes that, given current politico-security dynamics in the region, fragmentation in West Africa is already undermining regional integration, collective security and democratic norm-setting across the sub-region.