Three West African countries under military rule have declared their quick exit from the ECOWAS regional organisation, citing the organisation as a threat to its constituents.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso stated that they “decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal” from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
According to the statement, ECOWAS “has become a threat to its member states and its population under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles.”
The three nations charged that the regional organisation was enforcing “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane, and irresponsible sanctions” while failing to assist them in their battle against “terrorism and insecurity.”
Since military takeovers occurred in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023, relations between the three countries and ECOWAS have been strained.
In response, the regional organisation placed severe sanctions on Niger and Mali and suspended all three nations.
Niger attempted to mend its relationship with ECOWAS on Friday by inviting its representatives to the capital, Niamey; however, only a delegation from Togo attended.
The prime minister of Niger nominated by the army, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, bemoaned “bad faith within this organisation.”
The military chiefs of the three countries have united in the so-called “Alliance of Sahel States” with the aim of combating the emergence of violent armed groups within their borders.
The three nations have severed their military ties to the former colonial power, France. Prior to the coups, France maintained a significant military presence throughout the Sahel, but it declared that it would be leaving the three nations.
The threat that armed groups may expand southward and into the more stable coastal nations of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Ivory Coast has increased in light of the French military withdrawal and the economic sanctions imposed on already vulnerable economies.
In the first half of 2023, there were over 1,800 attacks in West Africa, which led to almost 4,600 deaths and severe humanitarian consequences. A senior regional official for ECOWAS claimed that this was only “a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity.”
Three countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—announce their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), citing the group's transgression of its core values and its unwillingness to assist its member nations in combating terrorism.
Cc: @ecowas_cedeao pic.twitter.com/UGjfBngJr8
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