Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS): Tropical Heat, Troubled Middle

The Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS) covers eleven states in the Great Lakes region and several additional countries in the Gulf of Guinea. ECCAS stems from the earliest regional arrangements of predominantly former French colonies in Central Africa, with other additional states. It predates most RECs and the OAU, having arisen from the third wing of the philosophical debates around the OAU—the Brazzaville Group. As the chapter details, there has been no more of a conflict-prone region as the member states of ECCAS. At the same time, ECCAS has been one of the most inactive RECs, perhaps even more than the AMU, having almost ceased operations in the 1980s, only re-energizing itself in the mid-1990s in the wake of the genocide that wracked Rwanda for 100 days in 1994. Besides discussing the significant instances of conflict and genocide, including the Second Congo War and Rwanda's, it examines foreign interference, but also the concerted attempts to reverse the fortunes of the region. Data analysis for the REC, during the periods of low-little activity, interspersed with long periods of inertia, finds no significant correlation between REC membership, or the number of memberships of RECs ECCAS member states hold, and a decrease in conflict, improved trade and economic development numbers, or good governance. In fact, the opposite is true: the region features some of the worst economic and conflict indicators. Regional, continental and even UN missions, offices and peacekeeping missions have not produced much peace. The region hosts two of three significant UN peacekeeping missions and country offices. Most members of ECCAS also belong to CEN-SAD; neither of these are especially active or effective in promoting good governance, trade and economic growth, or containing the conflict that is so rife within the member states.