The military juntas ruling the nations of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso issued a joint statement on Sunday announcing their exit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
All three nations had already been suspended by ECOWAS because their governments were deposed by military force.
The three juntas said on Sunday they were quitting because ECOWAS lost touch with its founding ideals and the “spirit of pan-Africanism.” They said the organization is now “under the influence of foreign powers” and has “become a threat to its member states and its population.”
All three accused ECOWAS of imposing “illegitimate, inhumane, and irresponsible” sanctions on them while they were fighting against Islamist insurgent movements. The junta leaders insisted that imposing military dictatorships was the only way for them to “take their destiny into their own hands.”
Niger junta spokesman Col. Amadou Abdramane said ECOWAS “notably failed” to assist the three departing states “in their existential fight against terrorism and insecurity.”
Representatives from ECOWAS were supposed to visit Niger last week for talks with military leaders, but they canceled their trip at the last minute, ostensibly because their chartered plane had mechanical problems. Only the representative from Togo made it to Niger, prompting the junta to complain about the “bad faith” demonstrated by most of ECOWAS skipping the meeting.
Sunday was the first time member states have unilaterally withdrawn from ECOWAS since the 15-member bloc was formed in 1975. Since all three countries are landlocked, their economies are likely to suffer for having alienated their neighbors.
The move will probably be especially irritating for Nigeria, the headquarters of ECOWAS. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu took over as chairman of ECOWAS in July 2023 with high ambitions to strengthen the alliance and bring greater stability to West Africa. Tinubu was particularly interested in using sanctions to pressure the Niger junta to release the imprisoned elected leader of the country, President Mohamed Bazoum.
ECOWAS essentially ignored the statement from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso on Monday, placidly noting that the ECOWAS treaty lays out a formal process for withdrawal that takes one year to complete, during which departing nations are expected to continue fulfilling all of their treaty obligations.
“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,” ECOWAS said.
The three juntas have also ended long-standing military and counterterrorist cooperation with former colonial power France. Instead, they created a trilateral “Alliance of Sahel States” in October, pledging to defend each other from both internal and external adversaries.
The Associated Press (AP) cited experts who said ECOWAS is “fast losing its effectiveness and support among citizens” of the region because they think it represents “only the interests of the leaders and not that of the masses.”
“This withdrawal looks like an even more diminishing influence of the two traditional superpowers in West Africa – France and Nigeria,” said Lagos-based analyst Cheta Nwanze.
