ECOWAS enters new era with leadership change and peacekeeping documentation

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is entering a new phase of leadership and strategic documentation. General Birame Diop has formally assumed office as President of the ECOWAS Commission, succeeding Dr. Omar Alieu Touray. In his inaugural address in Abuja, Diop emphasized the necessity of maintaining engagement with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) following the withdrawals of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. He noted that shared borders and common threats, such as terrorism, irregular migration, and transboundary crime, make cooperation unavoidable despite political divisions.

Simultaneously, the ECOWAS Commission has released a series of landmark publications to document its history of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. A primary text, ‘Fighting Bushfires. ECOWAS and Peacemaking in West Africa,’ analyzes the bloc’s interventions in civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. These publications aim to provide critical analyses and recommendations to improve future peace support operations and address the multidimensional crises facing the region.