Africa: the defeat of ECOWAS and the end of the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission

The 15-nation ECOWAS regional bloc admitted during the summit in Nigeria to the ineffectiveness of efforts to restore political stability in West and Central Africa. Since 2020, eight successful or unsuccessful coups and military coups have been recorded there, including: in Niger, Gabon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. However, the imposed sanctions and other measures did not result in the return of civilian rule in these countries. At the same time, ECOWAS officially recognized the junta in Niger as the legitimate authority and demanded a “short” period of transition to civilian rule before economic sanctions were eased.

The UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA is withdrawing from Mali, where the military took power in 2020, after ten years and by the local government’s decision. It raises fears of an intensification of fighting between Malian forces and armed groups seeking territorial control. Over the last decade, there were approximately 15,000 MINUSMA soldiers and police officers in Mali. As a result of the conflict, from 180 to 304 of its members died.

The African regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), involved in efforts to mediate the war in Sudan, said that both belligerents, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, have committed to a ceasefire and dialogue regarding resolving the conflict. Fighting that has been going on since April this year despite subsequent diplomatic efforts, they devastated the country’s capital and led to ethnic killings in Darfur.