Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called on leaders within the West African subregion to devise ways of ending the usurping of democratically elected governments by the military.
The phenomenon, which has characterised the West African subregion since 2021, according to the former Nigerian military leader, should not be countenanced due to the ramifications it is bringing to West Africa.
According to him, the three countries that have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have weakened the bloc to which they previously belonged—the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)—stressing the need to halt the recurrence to avoid exacerbating the impact.
Delivering a speech as Keynote Speaker at the Republic Day Lecture organised by the One Ghana Movement and the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College on Thursday, July 3, 2025, on the theme “ECOWAS and its Survival: Impact of the Alliance of Sahelian States and the Way Forward,” the former Nigerian President said ECOWAS is currently at a stage that needs resuscitation due to the breakaway of some of its members and current developments.
“With the high risk of coups in the region, West Africa must find a new solution to governments emerging from non-constitutional means,” he stated.
“ECOWAS is wounded, so now, maybe not mortally, but it is in Intensive Care Unit,” Obasanjo averred further, adding that “it will require strong and proactive political attention to keep it alive and healthy again.”
He highlighted the complexity of getting the bloc back on its feet, expressing fear about external forces backing these Sahel States in charting a new path of regional sovereignty. “…and that may take a long time. Maybe a decade or even more.” “I have two great fears. One is Europe’s reaction to developments in West Africa. They see what’s happening in these three countries as a challenge, and that is the problem,” he stated, disclosing that his visit to Guinea Conakry showed the military leaders “were not in a hurry to leave.”
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is a confederation formed by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. It was established on July 6, 2024, and serves as a mutual defense pact among the three nations. The alliance emerged from a pre-existing mutual defense pact created in response to the 2023 Nigerien crisis, where ECOWAS threatened military intervention following a coup in Niger.
The wave of coups led to the suspension of these nations from ECOWAS, the regional economic community.
The alliance serves as a mutual defense pact, with the member states pledging to support each other against external threats and internal security issues. The AES represents a move away from Western influence, with the member states increasingly seeking support from Russia, particularly for security forces and political backing.
The formation of the AES is also part of a broader trend of “sovereignist revival” in the region, with the military-led regimes aiming to restore public order and build stronger state institutions.
The alliance is also intended to address the ongoing jihadist insurgencies and other security challenges plaguing the region.
The event was chaired by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel.
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