Three West African countries, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have announced the intention to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) immediately.
These countries are now run by military that have seized control from civilian authorities.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, January 28, 2024 the countries said “After 49 years, the valiant peoples of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger regretfully and with great disappointment observe that the (ECOWAS) organization has drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism.”
All three countries had been suspended from ECOWAS for refusing to comply with the regional body’s demand to return to civilian governance following the coups.
“Indeed, the organization has not provided assistance to our States in the context of our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity; worse, when these States decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture by imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its own texts; all things which have further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence imposed by instrumentalized and remote-controlled terrorist hordes.”
At a December conference in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, West African leaders seek a “short” return to civilian administration in coup-torn Niger before lifting economic sanctions.
Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown in July 2023, and the junta announced it would take three years to restore civilian power.
In Mali, civilian rule was last in effect before the first of two coups in August 2020. Burkina Faso’s elected government was overthrown in 2022.
Read statement below;
