Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic will stop being members of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, from 2025.
President of ECOWAS commission, Alieu Touray, made the announcement on Sunday during the 66th ordinary session of heads of states and governments in Abuja.
The Eastern Updates reported that the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their immediate withdrawal from the ECOWAS in January this year.
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Prior to the withdrawal, the trio were suspended from ECOWAS, with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions.
However, Touray said ECOWAS has now set the countries’ exit at January 29, 2025 – July 29, 2025.
The ECOWAS president said the timeframe would allow for last mediations and any diplomatic interventions.
The development comes after the military-led governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announced their decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, describing the move as “irreversible.
The three countries, in a joint statement, accused ECOWAS of serving the interests of France, their former colonial power and pledged to chart a new path for their citizens.
The announcement precedes a key ECOWAS summit scheduled for Sunday, where regional leaders had hoped to negotiate a resolution to retain the three nations within the bloc.
The three countries, located in the insurgency-torn central Sahel region, have formed their own group called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The new effective departure date has now been extended to July 29, although January 29 will still be the official withdrawal date. The bloc hopes to use the six-month transition period to convince the countries to return.
