Three military-led West African states have declared their immediate exit from the regional group ECOWAS, accusing it of posing a threat to its members.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso “decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal” from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), according to a joint statement issued on Sunday.
ECOWAS “under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its population”, read the statement.
The three countries accused the regional body of failing to support their fight against “terrorism and insecurity”, while imposing “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions”.
ECOWAS stated in a statement that it had not been informed of the nations’ decision to leave the organisation. The guideline states that withdrawal might take up to a year to complete.
“Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali remain important members of the Community and the Authority remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse,” it said.
The 15-nation bloc of ECOWAS, formed in 1975 to “promote economic integration” in member states, is widely regarded as West Africa’s top political and regional authority. In recent years, it has struggled to reverse rampant coups in the region, where citizens have complained about not benefiting from rich natural resources.
Military power grabs occurred in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023.
The regional group responded by suspending all three nations and imposing strict penalties on Niger and Mali.
On Friday, Niger attempted to repair ties with ECOWAS by inviting its delegates to the capital, Niamey, but only Togo’s delegation showed up.
“There is bad faith within this organisation,” lamented Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, Niger’s army-appointed prime minister.
Military chiefs in the three countries have pledged to combat the growth of dangerous armed groups in their respective countries, and they have formed the so-called “Alliance of Sahel States”.
The three nations have severed military relations with France, a former colonial power. France formerly had a substantial presence in the Sahel, but declared its withdrawal from the three nations following the coups.
The French military withdrawal and economic penalties on already unstable economies have raised fears that armed groups may extend southward to the comparatively stable coastal countries of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Ivory Coast.
In the first six months of 2023, West Africa had more than 1,800 assaults, killing approximately 4,600 people and causing catastrophic humanitarian effects. According to an ECOWAS senior regional official, this was only “a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity”.
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