The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has declared a state of emergency following a surge in coups and attempted military takeovers that have shaken the region.
The announcement was made by ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, during the 55th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Okay News reports that the declaration marks ECOWAS’ most forceful response yet to a growing wave of unconstitutional power seizures across West Africa, with the bloc warning that the situation now poses a direct threat to stability and democratic governance.
Touray told ministers and envoys present at the meeting that the recent events represented “a grave threat to peace and democratic governance,” urging member states to commit to deeper cooperation and to “reflect on the future of democracy in our sub-region.” He pushed for increased investment in conflict-prevention, intelligence, and security readiness as part of a broader restructuring of ECOWAS’ defence mechanisms.
The emergency move follows the attempted coup in the Republic of Benin last week, one of several political flashpoints since 2020. Successful military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger—alongside aborted plots in other ECOWAS states—have continued to erode regional stability.
Leaders of the bloc are expected to meet at an extraordinary summit in the coming weeks, where they will consider tougher sanctions, wider deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force, and revisions to the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Over the weekend, ECOWAS ordered the rapid deployment of its standby force to Benin after troops loyal to a dissident faction attempted to overthrow President Patrice Talon. The Commission warned that it would “take all necessary measures to prevent a breakdown of law and order and defend constitutional governance.”
In a related development, tensions rose between ECOWAS and members of the Confederation of Sahel States after AES accused a Nigerian Air Force aircraft of violating Burkina Faso’s airspace. Authorities in Ouagadougou said they launched an investigation before determining the aircraft had no authorisation to fly over the country.
But the Nigerian Air Force clarified that the C-130 plane made a precautionary landing due to a technical fault detected shortly after departing Lagos. Officials said the stopover was purely for safety, and that the aircraft would proceed to Portugal once cleared to continue the mission.
