West Africa is experiencing a period of significant turmoil, with a series of coups in countries such as Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, and Guinea Bissau posing an existential crisis for the regional organisation ECOWAS and its democratic model. The current phase of the crisis is linked to the rapid collapse of the democratic model that has evolved in the post-1990 era. This has led to a deterioration of the growing crisis that has affected the zone for decades due to structural problems related to widespread poverty, food insecurity, the climate crisis, and insurgency generated by violent extremist jihadi groups.
The region's crisis is also influenced by global geopolitical transformation, with West African countries that have been closely tied to their neo-colonial masters needing to rethink their strategies as Western powers decline. The emerging middle powers and the BRICS formation may offer a new direction for the region. The Association of Sahelian States (AES) has been established by some of the countries involved, and populism has been used as a mobilisation strategy to secure acceptance of their putschists' rule. French neo-colonialism has been singled out as a major evil that must be destroyed.
The ongoing battle in the region is between efforts at state capture by the political class and citizens' attempts to entrench an inclusive democratic culture. West African leaders bear little resemblance to the people they govern, and citizens have repeatedly demonstrated their keen interest in participating in democratic politics. However, successive generations of leaders have demonstrated deep disrespect for the practice of a level playing ground for democratic politics and have worked assiduously to dismantle democratic rules and processes.
The significant trend today is that of the return of militarism, with violent extremism emerging as one of the most important political elements characterising West Africa and the Sahel. A number of violent extremist organisations profoundly impact the Sahel and West Africa, and their ambitions have grown, and their geographical reach has been extended throughout the region. Terrorism has devastated lives and livelihoods, disrupting local economies, health, and education services.
The core of the crisis in West Africa is poor governance and the realisation by citizens that they are not seeing the dividends of democracy due to corruption by the political class. The people of West Africa expect their governments to provide for their security and welfare, and that is the key challenge that has to be addressed. State capacity to provide services to the people must improve steadily to meet the expectations of the people.
West Africa has a history of resilience to the risks and threats it has been confronting, with the people fighting for and obtaining the return of democracy in the early 1990s in response to the debilitating authoritarianism and conflicts of the 1970s and 1980s. Democracy returned with new constitutions, new political parties, and regular elections. However, the principal question posed in the 1990s was who would be the beneficiaries of this return of democracy?
The time to study possible futures in West Africa's political transformation has arrived, and experts are looking forward to the contribution of conferences such as the one organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation on the peace and security landscape in West Africa. The conference aims to promote discussion on the region's challenges and possible solutions.
Key points
- West Africa faces an existential crisis due to shifting global order and rising militarism.
- Poor governance and corruption are at the core of the crisis in West Africa.
- The region's resilience and ability to adapt to changing circumstances will be crucial in determining its future.
