On July 26, contributors of Niger’s presidential guard deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup, the 5th a hit one in 9 makes an attempt in West Africa since 2020.
This has induced the Financial Neighborhood of West African States (ECOWAS) to impose sanctions and factor a one-week ultimatum to the period in-between army govt to reinstall Bazoum or face conceivable use of power.
If it is going forward, it gained’t be the primary time the 15-member regional bloc has intervened in crises involving member countries. The Financial Neighborhood of West African States Tracking Team (ECOMOG), the army arm of ECOWAS, was once shaped in 1990 to incessantly interfere in conflicts throughout the area.
Here’s a listing of the ones interventions.
1990: Liberia
In 1989, Charles Taylor led a defense force in opposition to the Liberian govt, resulting in the outbreak of civil battle there. As a result, the regional bloc made an exceptional transfer to interfere in 1990. The preliminary 3,000-man ECOMOG contingent was once shaped with body of workers drawn from Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, and Sierra Leone with further squaddies contributed by way of Mali.
The challenge was once arguable because of a path of human rights violations dedicated by way of its body of workers, particularly in opposition to girls, nevertheless it secured peace. The troops have been provide within the nation till 1996 when the battle ended.
1997: Sierra Leone
ECOMOG’s subsequent prevent was once the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, in 1997 following the overthrow of the elected civilian govt of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah by way of Primary Johnny Paul Koroma in an army coup.
The power, underneath the command of Nigerian troops, moved a part of its body of workers from Monrovia, the Liberian capital, to recapture Freetown from the riot staff Innovative United Entrance (RUF). In February 1998, ECOMOG introduced an assault that ended in the autumn of the army regime and Kabbah was once reinstalled as chief of the rustic.
1999: Guinea Bissau
The following prevent for ECOMOG was once a ceasefire challenge in Guinea Bissau after hostilities broke out following an tried coup in 1998. The combat was once between govt forces subsidized by way of neighbouring Senegal and Guinea in opposition to coup leaders who had regulate of the military.
The hostilities have been resolved after a peace settlement was once installed position in November 1998 at the prerequisites of a countrywide cohesion govt and new elections in 1999 however a brand new outbreak of war in Might 1999 scuppered the settlement.
In November, a peace accord was once signed in Abuja which, partially, mentioned the withdrawal of Senegalese and Guinean troops and the deployment of ECOMOG forces to verify peace.
2003: Cote’d Ivoire
After Ivorian military and riot teams got here to a ceasefire settlement in 2003, ECOWAS deployed troops complementing the United Countries and French troops underneath ECOMICI.
2003: Liberia
The second one Liberian civil battle additionally necessitated a go back of regional troops. Whilst the primary civil battle introduced Charles Taylor to energy, the second one civil battle between 1999 and 2003 ended in his go out.
This time, ECOWAS deployed troops underneath ECOWAS Venture in Liberia (ECOMIL) with some 3,500 squaddies, with probably the most coming from Nigeria. They served as an interposition power, maintaining the opponents aside and facilitating the coming of the United Countries Venture in Liberia (UNMIL).
2013: Mali
A 2012 coup in Mali ended in a breakdown of order and armed teams instantly took benefit of the coup that adopted to overrun the north of the rustic.
ECOWAS led the Africa-led Global Beef up Venture in Mali (AFISMA) to fortify the Malian govt within the combat in opposition to rebels in 2013.
The challenge was once approved by way of a UN Safety Council answer and its preliminary mandate was once twelve months. Nigeria contributed many of the troops, however a number of alternative West African international locations, together with Gabon, Ivory Coast, Niger and Burkina Faso, additionally subsidized the challenge.
AFISMA in the end gave technique to the UN Multidimensional Built-in Stabilisation in Mali (MINUSMA).
2017: The Gambia
Codenamed “Operation Repair Democracy”, an ECOWAS operation led by way of Senegal despatched troops into Banjul to power Yahya Jammel who had refused to concede an election loss to Adama Barrow within the 2016 election.
Barrow was once sworn in as president on the Gambian embassy in Dakar and asked an ECOWAS army intervention. The troops ensured the transition inside 3 days.
The identify of the challenge was once later modified to ECOWAS Venture in The Gambia (ECOMIG) and lasted till December 2021.
