ECOWAS: Four strategic publications launched in Abuja to capitalize on three decades of peace operations

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) launched four strategic publications in Abuja on August 27, 2026, tracing three decades of peace support operations in the region, according to the institution as reported by Africa Newsroom (APO). The launched documents are 'Fighting Bushfires. ECOWAS and Peacemaking in West Africa', 'The ECOWAS Intervention from the Peaceful Transfer of Democratic Power in The Gambia', the conference report 'Two Decades of Peace Processes in West Africa', and the 'Akosombo After-Action Review' report dedicated to the Malian crisis. The ceremony brought together Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, and the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah. 'Documenting the lessons of those who participated in regional interventions is essential to strengthen future responses,' stated General Musa. Ambassador Musah described the initiative as an 'important milestone' for ECOWAS institutional memory in the face of terrorism and violent extremism. These works provide West African decision-makers and military personnel with an evidence-based foundation to adjust future interventions, following operations conducted in The Gambia in 2017, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s, and Mali since 2012. This move comes as ECOWAS seeks to reaffirm its regional authority following the formal withdrawal in January 2025 of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, grouped within the Alliance of Sahel States, which has reduced its scope of action against Sahelian jihadist groups.