ECOWAS has thrown its weight behind Venezuela’s sovereignty, issuing a firm reminder to the world that international law must guide responses to the deepening crisis in the oil-rich South American nation.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States expressed deep concern over recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The regional bloc said it had been “closely monitoring the situation” and called on the international community to uphold the country’s territorial integrity.
While recognising the right of sovereign states to tackle transnational threats like terrorism and drug trafficking, ECOWAS pointed to Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. That provision prohibits the threat or use of force against any state’s territorial integrity or political independence.
The statement aligns ECOWAS with the African Union’s position, articulated just a day earlier on January 3, 2026. The AU had urged “restraint and inclusive dialogue among the people of Venezuela” as the path to resolving the country’s mounting challenges.
Venezuela’s current turmoil fits a pattern etched into its history over more than two decades. Since Hugo Chávez first won power in 1998 on promises of social revolution, the country has lurched from one crisis to another—marked by political polarisation, economic collapse, contested elections, and waves of sanctions.
Chávez’s handpicked successor, Nicolás Maduro, has faced relentless pressure since 2013. Hyperinflation peaked at over 1.7 million percent in 2018, driving mass migration and emptying shelves across the once-prosperous nation. Opposition leaders and much of the international community rejected Maduro’s 2018 re-election as fraudulent, leading to Juan Guaidó’s short-lived recognition as interim president by some 50 countries in 2019.
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Sanctions from the United States and European Union followed, targeting oil exports and government officials. Maduro’s government has consistently framed these measures as economic warfare aimed at regime change. Tensions spiked again after the July 2024 presidential election, widely disputed as rigged despite opposition claims of victory.
ECOWAS’s intervention comes against this backdrop of escalating friction. The bloc emphasised its “solidarity with the Venezuelan people” and commitment to “principles of non-interference and respect for independence.” It urged all states to avoid actions that could “undermine the country’s territorial integrity.”
Nigeria and its West African neighbours know Venezuela’s plight intimately. ECOWAS itself rose from the ashes of regional conflicts—the Liberian and Sierra Leonean civil wars of the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. The bloc intervened militarily then, but later codified strict non-interference as a cornerstone principle.
Africa has repeatedly championed sovereignty on the global stage. During Libya’s 2011 collapse, the AU opposed NATO intervention, warning it violated the very Responsibility to Protect doctrine it helped shape. Similar positions emerged in response to Western sanctions on Zimbabwe and Sudan.
ECOWAS’s statement nods to this legacy while aligning explicitly with the AU’s call for dialogue. “We reiterate our support for the people of Venezuela as they work towards shaping the future of their country through an inclusive and peaceful process,” the bloc declared.
