Consolidating or Deconsolidating Security? Analyses of the Security Implications of the Exit of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali from ECOWAS

Abstract In recent years, the dramatic changes in cooperation and alliance of states and peoples, particularly the “Sahexit” has sparked significant interest and debates among scholars. Ancient African societies and cultures sought to integrate their energies and resources to survive, fight common enemies, withstand common threats, or contemporarily, resolve disputes. The Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ), anchored on Pan-African ideals of nonalignment, unity, and indivisibility of the destiny of African peoples, expanded its initial scope for economic purposes to deal with the rising security challenges in West Africa. Yet, ECOWAS continues to struggle with insurgent activities, recurrent coup d’etats, and more recently the threat of succession from Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali (“Sahexit”). Drawing on Regional Security Complex and human security perspectives, and the literature on Pan Africanism, this paper examines the security challenges of Sahexit for the subregion. It argues that Sahexit poses significant security challenges to the fragile security situation in the subregion particularly at the regional, state, and individual levels. The exit will weaken ECOWAS regional security cooperation, disrupt coordinated regional strategies, and leave major gaps in joint security operations and intelligence sharing, and complicate insecurities in the subregion. The paper concludes with recommendations to mitigate the security challenges.