Abstract

West Africa’s post-Cold War democratization trajectory has unfolded alongside entrenched regional security challenges, including armed conflicts, terrorism, military coups, and transnational organized crime. These threats have systematically undermined state institutions, eroded public confidence in democratic governance, and perpetuated cycles of instability. Simultaneously, fragile democratic systems characterized by weak rule of law, pervasive electoral irregularities, corruption, and poor governance have significantly contributed to escalating insecurity across the sub-region. Regional bodies, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have strategically sought to integrate security management with democratic consolidation through proactive conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations, and targeted sanctions against unconstitutional changes of government. This study examines how terrorism, insurgencies, and instability hinder democratic consolidation, spotlighting crises in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger. Grounded in security-democracy theory stressing peace-institution-governance interdependence, it uses qualitative comparative analysis to evaluate ECOWAS’s role in conflict resolution and peacekeeping. The findings confirm ECOWAS’s proactive stabilization of fragile states and democratic support, limited by resource shortages, uneven member-state commitment, and sovereignty tensions. Recommendations include bolstering ECOWAS’s capacity and enforcement; fostering national-regional security collaboration; prioritizing inclusive governance and socio-economic development for sustainable security-democracy synergy; and deploying robust early-warning systems with preventive diplomacy to shift from reactive to proactive interventions.

Keywords

Democracy, security, regional, political, peace

File: 1778339157_Vol_10_2__003.pdf

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