The Role of ECOWAS on Peace and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria and Gambia

This paper examines the issues that led to political conflicts in Nigeria and Gambia. The paper further explains the role ECOWAS played in the past in sustaining peace and security in the West African regional community. ECOWAS has been able to conduct peacekeeping in countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leon, and Coted’Ivoire. The methodology used is qualitative design. The work also used published works and internet sources for the purpose of data collection. The findings revealed that, the political conflict between the North and South led to increased security threats by the Boko Haram in Nigeria. In Gambia, the actions of President Jammeh who initially accepted election result, knowing that he was defeated and later rejected the outcome of the elections which led to apolitical conflict. Therefore, the paper recommends early warning mechanism to be employed in handling issues that may result into conflict.