Sahel Shake-Up: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Exit ECOWAS, Cite Threat to Member States

 

Military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have announced their immediate withdrawal from the West African bloc ECOWAS, stating it poses a threat to member states.

 

The leaders of these Sahel nations emphasised the “sovereign decision” to leave ECOWAS, citing tense relations since coups in Niger (July 2023), Burkina Faso (2022), and Mali (2020). All three, founding ECOWAS members in 1975, were suspended with heavy sanctions, deemed “irrational and unacceptable” as they asserted control through coups.

 

In recent months, the nations solidified their positions, forming an “Alliance of Sahel States.” Their joint statement accused ECOWAS of betraying founding principles, becoming a threat under foreign influence, and failing to address jihadist threats since 2012.

 

While leaving ECOWAS may hinder trade, raise costs, and reintroduce visa requirements, the departure prompted France’s withdrawal, allowing Russia to fill the military and political void. Concerns are rising over conflicts spreading southward from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea states.

 

In a display of “bad faith,” Niger’s appointed prime minister criticised ECOWAS after a shunned meeting in Niamey. Niger sought dialogue amid economic sanctions following the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger’s military leaders, grappling with high food prices, and medicines scarcity, advocate a three-year transition to civilian rule.

 

In Mali, election plans under Colonel Assimi Goita were postponed from February to an unknown date.

 

Burkina Faso, not under sanctions despite Captain Ibrahim Traore’s 2022 coup, prioritises insurgency over elections this summer.

 

The dynamics underscore regional tensions and the complex interplay of politics, security, and foreign involvement.