ECOWAS: Uncertainty as Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso exit deadline elapses today
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The deadline for the exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States is set to expire today, creating significant uncertainty within the region.
This is as the ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray will brief the media today on the exit of the three Sahel States.
These three countries were suspended by ECOWAS in January 2024 following military coups that ousted their elected governments.
The Head of Communication at the ECOWAS Commission, Joel Ahofodji, had confirmed that letters had been sent requesting meetings with the junta-led governments of the three countries.
“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.”
This diplomatic effort comes as ECOWAS prepares to approve the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, following the expiration of the one-year notice period required by Article 91 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty.
The bloc had set a six-month transitional period, which ends on July 29, 2025, to finalise the withdrawal protocols and explore potential reconciliation.
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.
In Burkina Faso, a coup on September 30, 2022, led to the removal of Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself come to power in a coup just eight months earlier.
In Mali, a mutiny by the military on August 18, 2020, resulted in the ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.
