Exploring the Prospect for Peace in West Africa

In West Africa, there exists a community that was created in order to promote the free movement of people and goods within the region. Its name is Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS). This organization has a military branch called the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). The objective of ECOMOG is to safeguard peace and security in West Africa and intervene when conflicts arise. ECOMOG was deployed during crises in Liberia, Sierra-Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. In Liberia, it helped to organize the presidential elections with success in 1997. In Sierra-Leone, ECOMOG reinstalled an elected government that was overthrown by force. In Guinea-Bissau, after a coup d'etat perpetrated by rebels, ECOMOG stopped its mission in that country.