Regional Organizations and Conflict Management in Africa: The Ecowas Experience

Abstract

This study is concerned with assessing the ECOWAS experience as it relates to conflict prevention and peace building in West Africa. Owing to the prevalence of conflict over the last three decades in the sub-region, ECOWAS as a sub-regional body established the Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security in 1999, otherwise known as the Mechanism. The mechanism permits intervention in any country experiencing instability due to internal or external factors. Unfortunately, despite the efforts to eliminate the ugly trend, violent conflict still persist in the sub-region. The survey used is the qualitative method of data collection, which was centered on the assessment of ECOWAS experience in conflict management in the sub-region with a focus on the nature, causes and conflict areas. Consequently, this paper assessed the application of the ECOWAS mechanism in preventing conflict and peace building in the sub-region. It also identified the challenges confronting ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF) in preventing and building peace in West Africa. This work concludes that despite the existence of the ECOWAS mechanism, there are still pockets of crises across the sub-region. It therefore recommends that more effort should be channel towards encouraging good governance, rule of law, respect for human rights, enhancement of economic development and the economic integration of the sub-region among other issues.