Junta-led Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso officially exited West Africa’s main political and trade bloc, ECOWAS, on Wednesday after more than a year of diplomatic tensions.
The withdrawal has shaken the Economic Community of West African States, widely regarded as one of the continent’s most significant regional organisations, as it marks its 50th anniversary this year.
In a statement, ECOWAS leadership said the group would “keep ECOWAS doors open” to the three countries, but their departure has cast uncertainty over the bloc’s future.
The rupture followed the July 2023 coup in Niger, after military leaders in Burkina Faso and Mali had already seized power since 2020.
ECOWAS had threatened military intervention in Niger to reinstate the deposed president and imposed strict economic sanctions on Niamey, which have since been lifted.
The three countries, all founding members of ECOWAS, announced their immediate withdrawal in January 2024, but the organisation’s rules required a one-year notice before it could take effect.
Their military governments accused ECOWAS of imposing “inhuman, illegal and illegitimate” sanctions.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have now established their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
ECOWAS called on its members to recognise “until further notice” passports from the three countries bearing the ECOWAS logo.
It stated that citizens from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso should “continue to enjoy the right of visa-free movement, residence and establishment in accordance with the ECOWAS protocols” until further decisions are made.
Goods and services from the three nations will also remain subject to ECOWAS trade rules until the bloc determines its “future engagement” with them.
The military leaders of the Sahel states have accused ECOWAS of failing to assist in their fight against jihadist insurgencies and of aligning too closely with France, the region’s former colonial power.
All three nations have largely severed security ties with France and have turned to Russia, Iran, and Turkey for support.
Amid divisions within ECOWAS, Togo and Ghana have normalised relations with the three countries, and Ghana’s new president, John Mahama, has appointed a special envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States.
