West African countries show how decades of working together build peace, and stop wars breaking out

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Out of 54 countries on the African continent, 45 have had at least one coup attempt since 1950.

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Thursday, June 1, 2023

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Out of 54 countries on the African continent, 45 have had at least one coup attempt since 1950.
We found evidence that the principles of non-aggression and peaceful settlement of disputes defined the relationships between west African countries.
The regional body was formed in 1975 by west African countries seeking to promote economic development.
We found a strong correlation between decades of regional cooperation and the rarity of conflicts between states in west Africa.

That region has witnessed conflicts between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and between Ethiopia and Somalia, for example.
In the west African region, we found that the security arrangements agreed under ECOWAS have helped to foster peace between states.

For example, a border dispute between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire was settled in 2017 through an international tribunal.
In both Liberia’s and Sierra Leone’s wars, which threatened to engulf other countries in the region, ECOWAS used these settlement mechanisms.
It has also created a sense of shared identity and solidarity among member countries.

This has happened with the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Their collective identities are based on norms that reflect the history and political cultures of their member states.