The Alliance of Sahel States, ECOWAS and the Limits of Regional Authority in West Africa

Abstract

The Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) has been widely studied for its institutional architecture, peacekeeping record and democratic norms. However, comparatively little scholarship treats member-state withdrawal from the organisation as evidence of deeper structural and legitimacy deficits. This paper examines the Alliance of Sahel States ( AES ), formed by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger following their withdrawal from ECOWAS , as a critical test of the organisation’s integration model. Drawing on neofunctionalist, intergovernmentalist and post-neofunctionalist theories, the paper argues that the AES is not a geopolitical anomaly but a symptom of long-standing deficits in ECOWAS ’s enforcement capacity, legitimacy and responsiveness to member-state political realities. Using a qualitative, interpretive research design that triangulates academic literature, policy documents and expert reports, the analysis traces the structural, political and legitimacy factors behind the AES ’s formation, examines how it challenges ECOWAS ’s mechanisms for integration and governance, and derives theoretical and practical insights for more context-aware regional integration strategies. The paper reframes state withdrawal as a diagnostic of institutional legitimacy rather than a peripheral disruption.