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The clock runs out today on the deadline for Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to exit ECOWAS, deepening uncertainty across West Africa. Their withdrawal raises pressing questions about the future of regional cooperation, economic stability, and collective security efforts in an already volatile region.
The ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray, is scheduled to address the media today regarding the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc. The three Sahel nations were suspended by ECOWAS in January 2024 after military coups toppled their democratically elected governments, a move that has since strained regional relations.
Joel Ahofodji, ECOWAS Commission’s Head of Communication, confirmed that formal letters have been dispatched to request meetings with the military-led governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The move underscores ECOWAS’s efforts to engage with the junta-led regimes amid ongoing regional tensions.
“ECOWAS has sent letters requesting meetings. We are awaiting official responses from the countries,” Ahofodji said. When asked if the nations had reached out to reconsider their exit, he responded, “No.”
With the mandatory one-year exit notice under Article 91 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty now expired, the bloc is moving toward officially ratifying the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, underscoring the deepening rift between the three nations and the regional body.
Read also: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger To Permanently Quit ECOWAS In 2025
The bloc had outlined a six-month transitional phase, running until July 29, 2025, to iron out the technicalities of the withdrawal and pursue any last-minute efforts to mend relations with the three departing countries.
At the conclusion of its 66th Ordinary Session in December 2024, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, expressed the bloc’s continued willingness to engage with the three countries during the transition.
He also confirmed that the mediation mandates of Senegalese President Bassirou Faye and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé had been extended to continue efforts to communicate with the departing nations.
The governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have accused ECOWAS of deviating from its founding principles and succumbing to external pressures, particularly regarding sanctions imposed after the military takeovers.
In response, the three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States, a new bloc focused on defence and mutual support, while distancing themselves from traditional Western allies such as France and fostering closer ties with Russia.
President Bola Tinubu, who chairs the ECOWAS Authority, reiterated the bloc’s commitment to pursuing diplomatic solutions while ensuring the protection of citizens.
ECOWAS, established in 1975 to promote economic integration across West Africa, has faced increasing challenges in recent years with a growing number of military takeovers in the region. These include coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023.
On July 26, 2023, a coup in Niger saw the presidential guard detain President Mohamed Bazoum, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the presidential guard, declared himself the new leader
