| Summary: | The advent of intra-state conflicts or ‘new wars’ in
West Africa has brought many of its economies to the brink of collapse, creating humanitarian
casualties and concerns. For decades, countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and
Guinea- Bissau were crippled by conflicts and civil strife in which violence and incessant
killings were prevalent. While violent conflicts are declining in the sub-region, recent
insurgencies in the Sahel region affecting the West African countries of Mali, Niger and
Mauritania and low intensity conflicts surging within notably stable countries such as Ghana,
Nigeria and Senegal sends alarming signals of the possible re-surfacing of internal and regional
violent conflicts. These conflicts are often hinged on several factors including poverty, human
rights violations, bad governance and corruption, ethnic marginalization and small arms
proliferation. Although many actors including the ECOWAS, civil society and international
community have been making efforts, conflicts continue to persist in the sub-region and their
resolution is often protracted. This paper posits that the poor understanding of the fundamental
causes of West Africa’s violent conflicts and civil strife would likely cause the sub-region to
continue experiencing and suffering the brunt of these violent wars.
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