NEWSLETTER

ECOWAS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND PEACE KEEPING INITIATIVES:
FROM ENFORCEMENT TO PEACE SUPPORT OPERATIONS

There is no doubt that ECOWAS has blazed the trail in regional peace keeping in Africa. Formed in 1975 under the Treaty of Lagos, with the main objective to promote economic development and integration, emerging political and security challenges soon necessitated a major shift in focus and strategic thinking with proactive revisions of the ECOWAS normative frameworks, beginning with the Revised Treaty of 1993.

In addressing these challenges, ECOWAS has been internationally acknowledged as a leading light in regional integration and peace keeping. The guiding legal instruments for its various interventions include the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace keeping and Security of 1999 and the Supple- mentary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001, which highlights zero tolerance for power obtained or maintained through unconstitutional means. There is also the 2008 ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF).

The interventions include a combination of preventive diplomacy, mediation and peace enforcement, beginning with the deployment of the maiden ECOWAS Monitoring Group, ECOMOG to Liberia and later Sierra Leone from 1990. In recent times, and with the support of development partners, the emphasis has shifted to Peace Support Operations (PSO) with the military-heavy ECOMOG concept replaced by the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) initiative.

According to Col. Ollo Alain Pale, Head of the ECOWAS Peace Support Operation Division, which replaced the former Mission Planning and Management Cell, the PSO concept is a multi-dimensional and integrated approach with four components - the military, police, civilian and mission support.

“Development partners are willing to support the PSOs because they fit into their commitment to democracy, good governance and human rights,” he said, in an interview in his Abuja office, adding that this is also consistent with the African Union's African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).

Col Pale noted that Defence and Security Sector Reform (DSSR) Teams are now part of the ECOWAS PSO for prompt tackling of identified security challenges.

ECOWAS PSOs whether solely operated or in conjunction with the international community, include in Liberia and Sierra Leone (1990-1999 before UN stepped in), Guinea Bissau (1998-99), Cote d'Ivoire (2003-2004), Guinea Bissau from 2013, Published with the assistance of the "EU Support to ECOWAS Regional Peace, Security and Stability Mandate (EU-ECOWAS PSS) Project,” funded by the European Union. Mali in 2013, before the UN took over, and then in The Gambia (2016 to date).

The PSO Division chief identified inadequate funding as the major challenge facing ECOWAS peace operations, noting that this has a negative impact on the strategic lifting of personnel and material. While commending troops' contributing countries for their sacrifices, Col Pale suggested sustained support and adequate funding of ECOWAS PSOs. He also suggested the possibility of obtaining the relevant UN mandate to back the PSOs, in order to ease the burden on ECOWAS.

Col Pale also thanked development partners particularly the European Union, German Agency for International Development - Deutsche Gesellschaft fiir Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), and the governments of Switzerland and Sweden for their support to ECOWAS PSOs.

"The EU has provided ECOWAS with grants of more than 1.5 billion Euros on various interventions over the years. These include for the ongoing EU Support to ECOWAS Regional Peace, Security and Stability Mandate (EU- ECOWAS PSS) Project."

The mandates of ECOWAS’ two on-going Peace Support Operations - the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG, comprising 542 personnel) and the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB - 1,005 personnel), both end on the 30th September 2019, with potential funding challenges.

ECOWAS, EU COMMIT TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU) have reaffirmed commitment to strengthening their long- standing mutually beneficial partnership building on the impressive achievements and lessons learnt.

This was the thrust of discussions when the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Gen. Francis Behanzin led an ECOWAS delegation recently on a courtesy visit to the office of the Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, in Abuja.

Commissioner Behanzin, on behalf of the ECOWAS Commis- sion's President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, expressed ECOWAS' gratitude to EU member states and governments for their support over the years in various areas of development, including peace and security, trade, anti-terrorism and fight against piracy, peace-keeping and consolidation of democracy and good governance in West Africa.

“We are grateful for the EU support, especially in the area of peace and security because without peace and security there will be no development,” the Commissioner noted.

In this regard, he mentioned the ECOWAS Missions in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) and in The Gambia (ECOMIG) and the need for support of the mandate of the Missions.

The ECOWAS Commissioner also cited the conduct of series of elections by ECOWAS member States as another challenge. While acknowledging the EU support in the deployment of ECOWAS election observation Missions to member states holding elections, Gen. Behanzin reiterated the urgent need for the reduction of the cost of elections through an operationalization of a planned regional electoral material depot.

On the way forward, he called for support for the strength- ening of ECOWAS’ institutional capacity in order to maximize the benefits of its partnership with the EU and other development partners.

In his response, Ambassador Karlsen noted the excellent partnership between the two organisations, and lauded ECOWAS' leadership role in regional peace keeping through the work of the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, taking into account the African Union's Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) initiative.

In line with EU's post-Cotonou strategic thinking, he called for a shift to an integrated “policy-first and project- afterwards” approach, to optimize the benefits of the EU- ECOWAS collaboration.

The EU has provided ECOWAS with grant supports of more than one billion Euros in the past six years, including about 293 million Euros on peace and security interventions in the past decade.

The 10-member ECOWAS delegation to the meeting included the Chief of Staff of the ECOWAS Standby Force, Brig.-Gen. Usman Yusuf, the Director of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Dr Remi Ajibewa, and Mr. Dieudonne Nikiema, Manager of the ECOWAS Peace Fund (EPF), among others.

GUINEA BISSAU GETS A NEW PARLIAMENT WITH ECOWAS SUPPORT

Guinea Bissau's new National Assembly was inaugurated on the 18th of April, 2019 following the country's 10th March Legislative elections. According to results of the polls released by the National Elections Commission, the African Party of Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) won 47 seats in the 102-member Parliament.

The Movement for Democratic Alterna- tion (MADEM-G15) came second with 27 seats, with the 21-Term Social Renewal Party (PRS), Union for Change (UM) and Party for New Democracy (PND), wining one seat each, respectively.

More than 761,000 registered voters ina country with an estimated population of 1.9 million, cast their ballots in the elections contested by 21 political parties, with voter turn-out put at 85%.

The polls were originally scheduled to take place last November, then moved to December and again to 10th March, due to logistical and operational challenges.

International observers from the African Union, ECOWAS and Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), as well as the Electoral Monitoring Group, formed by national civil society groups, said the polls were generally peaceful, free, fair and transparent.

To douse political tension in the lead up to the elections, ECOWAS launched a sustained preventive diplomacy and mediation initiatives to bring the stakeholders on the same page for a peaceful electoral process.

As part of the mediation efforts, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government and his Guinean counterpart, President Alpha Conde both Mediators on Guinea Bissau, dispatched special envoys to Bissau.

The envoys, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Minister of State Naby Bangoura of Guinea, accompanied by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, met with key stakeholders, including President Jose Mario Vaz, Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, the leadership of the National Electoral Commission and a group of foreign diplomats involved in the peace-building process ahead of the parliamentary polls.

Nigeria supported Guinea Bissau with US$500,000 and also donated 350 voter registration kits, five vehicles and seven motor bikes to assist the election commission in organising credible elections.

This followed Needs Assessment and advocacy Missions to Guinea Bissau last year by the ECOWAS Commission and the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), led by its president Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who is also Chair of Nigeria's Independent Electoral Commission, INEC.

RECOGNITION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE ECOWAS REGION

The Department of Political Affairs Peace and Security (PAPS) of the ECOWAS Commission has won the ECOWAS Commission Management's Award for outstanding leadership, commitment and contributions to the success of ECOWAS' interventions in the domain of peace and security in the region.

In a related development, the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), ECOWAS' civil society coordinating partner, has also bestowed an Award on ECOWAS for its contribution and achievements in the consolidation of peace and security in West Africa.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Gen. Francis Behanzin, receivedthe award on behalf of the department at a recent ceremony in Abuja during which retiring staff of the Commission were also honoured.

ECOWAS and other organisations, develop- ment partners and individuals were acknowledged for their support to WANEP, during the ceremony, which was part of activities to mark WANEP's 20th Anniversary in March 2019, at the organisation's Ghana headquarters.

Celebration ECOWAS-EU, A Genuine Partnership for PEACE, SECURITY & STABILITY in WEST AFRICA Published by the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security ECOWAS Commission Annex, Niger House, Plot B17, Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District, Abuja Nigeria.