Regional Integration in Crisis: Dissecting the Implications of the Sahelian Withdrawal From Ecowas
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) represents one of the most significant contemporary challenges to regional integration in West Africa. This study examines the political, security, and economic factors that explain the Sahelian states’ decision to exit ECOWAS and analyzes the broader implications of this development for regional cooperation and institutional stability. Drawing on qualitative analysis of policy documents, regional trade data, security reports, and existing scholarly literature, the study explores how tensions surrounding democratic governance, ECOWAS sanctions, regional security challenges, and structural economic vulnerabilities contributed to the breakdown of relations between ECOWAS and the Sahelian states. The findings reveal that the withdrawal reflects deeper structural weaknesses within the ECOWAS integration framework, including limited intra-regional trade, institutional legitimacy challenges, and inadequate collective responses to security threats in the Sahel. The formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) further illustrates the emergence of alternative regional security arrangements that may reshape geopolitical alignments in West Africa. From a theoretical perspective, the study demonstrates the limitations of neo-functionalism in explaining regional integration in contexts characterized by political instability and security crises, as such conditions may generate negative spillover effects that weaken regional institutions. The article concludes that unless ECOWAS undertakes meaningful institutional reforms, strengthens diplomatic engagement, and addresses the underlying economic and security challenges facing the region, the current fragmentation could undermine the long-term prospects for regional integration in West Africa.
Institution: Achievers University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7140224032