Executive Summary

The initial mandate of ECOWAS did not include direct military intervention or peacekeeping. However, the devastating Liberian civil war in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed the urgent need for regional security mechanisms. This led to the formation of the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in 1990, an ad hoc military intervention force deployed in Liberia. The success and lessons from ECOMOG highlighted the importance of institutionalizing peacekeeping capacities within ECOWAS. From this background, the broader peace and security framework of ECOWAS began to take shape. The success and lessons from ECOMOG highlighted the importance of institutionalizing peacekeeping capacities within ECOWAS. From this background, the broader peace and security framework of ECOWAS began to take shape.

The initial mandate of ECOWAS did not include direct military intervention or peacekeeping. However, the devastating Liberian civil war in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed the urgent need for regional security mechanisms. This led to the formation of the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in 1990, an ad hoc military intervention force deployed in Liberia. The success and lessons from ECOMOG highlighted the importance of institutionalizing peacekeeping capacities within ECOWAS. From this background, the broader peace and security framework of ECOWAS began to take shape. The success and lessons from ECOMOG highlighted the importance of institutionalizing peacekeeping capacities within ECOWAS. From this background, the broader peace and security framework of ECOWAS began to take shape.

The initial mandate of ECOWAS did not include direct military intervention or peacekeeping. However, the devastating Liberian civil war in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed the urgent need for regional security mechanisms. This led to the formation of the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in 1990, an ad hoc military intervention force deployed in Liberia. The success and lessons from ECOMOG highlighted the importance of institutionalizing peacekeeping capacities within ECOWAS. From this background, the broader peace and security framework of ECOWAS began to take shape. The success and lessons from ECOMOG highlighted the importance of institutionalizing peacekeeping capacities within ECOWAS. From this background, the broader peace and security framework of ECOWAS began to take shape.