This is not the best of times for regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its leadership. The announced exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the regional economic bloc of West African states has caused disquiet in the region. It has also caused needless rumble in the fragile 15-member organization formed on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria to ensure economic cooperation and security among West African nations.
The member states are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo. These countries shared both cultural and geographical ties and common economic interest. Its mission at formation was to promote economic integration across the region. Cabo Verde later joined ECOWAS in 1977. Mauritania withdrew in December 2000 and later signed a new associate membership agreement in August 2017.
The ECOWAS vision encapsulates “a borderless region where the population has access to its abundant resources and is able to exploit them through the creation of opportunities under a sustainable environment. An integrated region where the population enjoys free movement, access to efficient education and health systems, engage in economic and commercial activities and live in dignity, in an environment of peace and security.” In addition, ECOWAS is “a region governed in accordance with the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance.”
There are indeed other things the people of member states benefit from the membership of the union. Above all, the union has literally united the people of the region. Therefore, the present rumble in the union caused by the planned exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso is needless and must be avoided by the military leaders of the three countries and the ECOWAS leadership.
The coupists, who gained power in their countries illegitimately, should not commit further atrocities by uncritically removing their countries from the regional union. Rather than do this, they should be thinking of how to restore democracy in their countries. Military rule, no matter how benevolent, is still an aberration. They should not overstay their welcome. They will achieve nothing from this avoidable mistake.
Following the recent wave of coups in West Africa, ECOWAS slammed far-reaching sanctions on Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to whip them into line and stem military intervention in politics in the region. ECOWAS, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, initially talked tough on the military junta of Niger and threatened fire and brimstone to restore the deposed leader of Niger. When the military leaders of the three countries threatened to resist any ECOWAS military operation in Niger, ECOWAS retreated and imposed comprehensive sanctions on the trio.
All attempts to ensure quicker return to constitutional order in these countries have failed. They failed because of poor handling of the Niger coup by ECOWAS leaders. They failed because ECOWAS as presently constituted is more of a toothless bulldog. It can bark but cannot bite. It is like the African Union (AU), which is also found to be helpless in such distressing situations.
They failed because of the new scramble for Africa by foreign powers. Africa is still a new frontier for economic development and political cooperation. That is why China, the United States and, of late, Russia are scrambling to have a footing in Africa for their own selfish reasons. Britain appears to be okay with its imperial booty in Africa and Asia, which it has jealously guarded for years under the umbrella body of the Commonwealth of Nations.
However, France appears to be losing control of its former colonial states in Africa, especially in central and western Africa. The ex-colonial states are no longer happy with France’s neo-colonial stance, which, to them, can be described as second slavery. France’s attempts to make Frenchmen out of black men did not quite succeed. The cultural assimilation principle came with many contradictions. No matter how a blackman tries to be like a Frenchman through mimicry, he is still regarded as a blackman. The more he tries, the more blackness they see in him.
No matter how he speaks French, the accent problem is there, the racial problem marked by colour and other features can hardly be erased. The British were wiser in their colonial enterprise. They saw it purely as an enterprise. Make your maximum profit and make these people so dependent on you and allow them rule themselves through your commands. Britain has separate settlements for their colonial officials far from black settlements. They live in GRAs and blacks live in slums and ghettos. They knew that independence would come one day. They didn’t want their colonial subjects to be Englishmen. They knew that it was a mission impossible. They didn’t try it at all. They believe strongly in their racial superiority over other races, especially the black race.
Unfortunately, the whiteman introduced racism in the world to control others and create a rare breed of humans over the others. They did it because it worked in their favour and treated others as inferior races. Racism, therefore, becomes a weapon to lord it over others through slavery and slave trade. They used the slave trade to develop Europe and America. Read Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa to grasp the gist of racism and underdevelopment of Africa.
The disquiet in ECOWAS is not good for regional economic growth and development. It is also not good for the development of democracy in the sub-region. The cure for bad governance is not military coups and counter coups. The military must learn to subordinate to civilian authorities. The antidote to military coups in Africa is good governance. As long as there are sit-tight leaders in Africa, the continent will continue to witness waves of military incursions in politics.
ECOWAS leaders should stop grandstanding on the issue and come to terms with the reality of the situation. No doubt, ECOWAS mishandled the coup in Niger before other coups happened. The mishandling of Niger coup emboldened others to stage coups and remained adamant to ECOWAS orders. It is time for ECOWAS leaders to change their style and handle the rebellion with diplomacy. For those rebelling, there is not much to gain from quitting ECOWAS. Instead they will be the ultimate losers. They can take a note from Mauritania.
What is paramount now is how to restore democracy in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and not how to exit ECOWAS. The military juntas in these countries should not cause commotion and more hardships to their citizens. They should come up with realistic transition to civil rule programme for their countries. Elongation of military rule in these countries will worsen their development trajectories. Coups in Africa have never been benevolent. They have led to more coups, bloodshed and wars. Africa must be saved from more coups and military dictatorships. We have had enough of them. We have gone through this vicious path before. There is no gain in it. The coupists in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso should stop deluding themselves that all is well in their exit of ECOWAS. Let them understand that no foreign power, including Russia, will develop their countries for them. Changing alliances from France to Russia is neither here nor there. It is not going to help their situation.
The Bola Tinubu-led ECOWAS should further engage the coup leaders in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and convince them to remain in ECOWAS. They ought to be made to understand the futility of their proposed action. Let ECOWAS and the coup leaders resolve this matter without dismembering the union.