ECOWAS steps in to solve Mali Crisis

• The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is attempting to mediate to solve the crisis in Mali.
• Since 1960, when Mali gained independence from France, there have been five coups and only one peaceful transition from one democratically elected president to another.
• Nine months ago, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown in the wake of mass anti-government protests.

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

• It is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa.
• The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region.

ECOWAS includes two sub-regional blocs:

1. The West African Economic and Monetary Union

• It is an organisation of eight french-speaking, states within the ECOWAS that share a customs union and currency union
• It was established in 1994 and intended to counterbalance the dominance of English-speaking economies in the bloc (such as Nigeria and Ghana).

2. The West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ)

• It was established in 2000 & comprises six English-speaking countries within ECOWAS.