Liberia In
Liberia, from 1990 to 1997, ECOWAS actively engaged in diplomatic efforts and peacekeeping operations amid the
civil war. ECOWAS justified its involvement by citing adherence to an international normative framework in which sovereignty was considered the fundamental constitutive norm, and non-intervention stood as the primary regulatory norm.
Mali In
Mali, after a
coup in which the military junta announced a four-year delay in the transition to elected civilian rule, ECOWAS implemented economic sanctions against the country. In reaction to this development, ECOWAS activated its standby force, emphasizing its preparedness for potential future actions. These sanctions encompassed the closure of land and air borders with other member countries of ECOWAS.
Gambia In
Gambia, in January 2017, ECOWAS conducted a military intervention in response to the prolonged refusal of long-time Gambian President
Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power following his defeat in the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow. This intervention ultimately resolved the constitutional crisis that had unfolded between 2016 and 2017. On January 19, at the behest of Barrow, who had been inaugurated as the new president earlier that day at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal, ECOWAS forces entered the country. As these troops approached the capital, Banjul, Jammeh chose to step down from his position and departed the country. Following his departure, 4,000 ECOWAS troops remained in The Gambia to maintain order in preparation for Barrow to return and consolidate his presidency.
Ivory Coast Niger In July 2023 following the
coup against
Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou's government in Niger, in a second emergency meeting on the situation in Niger in Abuja, ECOWAS on August 10 activated standby force and threatened to intervene militarily to restore constitutional order in Niger. In August 2023, after a
military coup took place in Niger, ECOWAS issued a directive for the mobilization of a "Ready Force" in alignment with its resolution to reinstate democracy and reestablish constitutional governance in the Niger Republic. The heads of state reached a consensus to strongly convey their demands to the military administration that had ousted President Mohamed Bazoum from power in the Niger Republic. If necessary, a potential regional military intervention conducted through the "ECOWAS Ready Force" could serve as a final recourse to resolve the situation.
Benin The ECOWAS Standby Force was deployed to Benin on 7 December 2025 following the unsuccessful
2025 Beninese coup attempt. == Recent developments ==