African mechanisms for the resolution of armed regional conflicts: An applied study on ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a sub-regional organization erected on the 28th of May, 1975 through the Lagos treaty. The primary objective of ECOWAS according to the 1975 was to promote economic cooperation among the fifteen countries that were signatory to the treaty and ratified it. However, the region has become home not only to economic problems, but also armed conflicts. This study aims to examine ECOWAS mechanisms for armed conflicts. The study exposes the various treaties including the 1993 revised version in a bid to understand and explain the effectiveness, achievements and limitations of the existing mechanisms for armed conflicts resolution within ECOWAS. The key questions for which answers are sought in this research are: 1) what is the aim of integrating the countries of the sub-region? 2) What is the armed conflict resolution mechanism of ECOWAS? 3) To what extent has ECOWAS armed conflict resolution mechanism performed? The study argues that ECOWAS has delivered economically, but undeforming in conflict resolution in the sub-region.