Non-Aggression and Defense Assistance Agreement between CEAO and TogoArticle 8. The High Contracting Parties shall make every
effort to consolidate and expand the mutually advantageous
political, economic, social, cultural and scientific and technical
co-operation between them. To this end, they shall extend and
deepen their co-operation in the fields which are the subjects of
special agreements.
The High Contracting Parties shall develop their commercial
exchanges and the merchant shipping between them on the
basis of the principles of equality of rights, mutual advantage
and most-favoured-nation treatment.
Article 9. The High Contracting Parties shall promote the
development of friendly and co-operative relations between the
socio-political and cultural organizations of their countries in
order to foster a deeper mutual acquaintance with the life,
work, experience and achievements of their peoples.
Article 10. Each of the High Contracting Parties declares that
it will not participate in any actions or measures directed
against the other High Contracting Party.
Article 11. The High Contracting Parties declare that this
Treaty does not affect their rights and obligations under existing
international treaties concluded with their participation and
they undertake not to conclude international agreements
incompatible with this Treaty.
Article 12. Any questions which may arise between the High
Contracting Parties concerning the interpretation or applica-
tion of any provision of this Treaty shall be resolved bilaterally
in a spirit of friendship, mutual respect and understanding.
Article 13. This Treaty shall be valid for a term of 20 years.
If neither of the High Contracting Parties gives notice, six
months before the expiry of the above-mentioned term, of its
desire to terminate the Treaty, it shall be extended for successive
five-year terms until such time as one of the High Contracting
Parties gives written notice, six months before the expiry of the
current five-year term, of its intention to terminate it.
Article 14. This Treaty is subject to ratification and shall
enter into force on the date of the exchange of the instruments
of ratification, which shall take place at Brazzaville.
Article 15. The High Contracting Parties shall transmit a
copy of this Treaty to the United Nations Secretariat for regis-
tration.
Article 16. This Treaty has been drafted in duplicate in the
Russian and French languages, both texts being equally
authentic.
Done at Moscow on 13 May 1981.
For the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
[L. BREZHNEV]
For the People’s Republic of the Congo:
[DENIS SASSOU-NGUESSO]
4.1421 Non-Aggression and Defense Assistance
Agreement between the States of the West
African Economic Community (CEAO) and
To g o
Alliance Members:Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire,
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo
Signed On:May 29, 1981, in the city of Freetown (Sierra Leone). In
force as of date of publication of this volume, except for Mauritania,
which withdrew on December 26, 2000.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:United Nations Treaty,no. 29137.SUMMARY
In 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
was established by treaty. The goal of the agreement was to foster bet-
ter relations and economic growth across the region of West Africa. As
the states of ECOWAS realized that economic growth could occur only
with stability and peace, the ECOWAS members signed the Protocol of
Non-Aggression in 1978, followed by this non-aggression and defense
assistance agreement on May 29, 1981.
The non-aggression and defense assistance agreement united the
member states in an agreement to confront any external threat to an
alliance member’s security and respond to any foreign-backed resist-
ance movements within member nations. Following this agreement,
ECOWAS intervened to stop conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and
Guinea-Bissau with ad hoc coalitions formed among ECOWAS mem-
bers specifically for these actions.
In an effort to move beyond reliance on ad hoc assortments of forces,
the member states revised their treaty in 1999 to aid member states in
pursuing effective joint peacekeeping operations. That revision fol-
lowed a strengthening of the economic union that was formed in 1993.Alliance Text
Preamble
The Governments of the Member States of the Economic Com-
munity of West African States;
Recalling Article 2 of the United Nations Charter which calls
upon all Member States to refrain in their international rela-
tions from resorting to the use of threats or force either against
the territorial integrity or the independence of all States in any
manner that is incompatible with the aims of the United
Nations or from interfering in the internal affairs of other
States;
Recalling Article 3 of the Charter of the Organisation of
African Unity which calls upon Member States to respect the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of each State and its inalien-
able right to an independent existence;
Mindful of the Treaty setting up the Economic Community
of West African States;
Recalling the Protocol on Non-Aggression signed in Lagos
on 22nd April 19782 in accordance with which Member States
resolved not to use force as a means of settling their disputes;