Tinubu urges Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali to drop secession move

President Bola Tinubu has asked the military leaderships of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States.

This was as he affirmed ECOWAS’ readiness to correspondingly re-examine its punitive approach to restoring constitutional rule to the states.

Tinubu spoke in his capacity as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government when he declared open an extraordinary summit on the political, peace, and security situation in the region at the State House, Abuja.

Urging both sides to prioritise the welfare of their people, he said, “Times like we currently face in our sub-region demand that we take difficult but courageous decisions that put the plight of our people at the centre of our deliberations.

“Democracy is nothing more than the political framework and the path to addressing the basic needs and aspirations of the people. This is why we must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states.

“I, therefore, urge them to reconsider the decision of the three of them to exit their home and not to perceive our organisation as the enemy.”

The civilian governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger fell under military control in May 2021, September 2022 and July 2023, respectively.

Consequently, the ECOWAS announced economic sanctions that isolated the three states alongside Guinea, where the military took over in September 2021.

The bloc suspended all commercial and financial transactions between its current members and the junta-led states, freezing all their assets at the ECOWAS Central Bank.

On January 28, the three nations announced their withdrawal from the ECOWAS, saying its “illegal sanctions” were harming the people.

They also alleged that the bloc had fallen under the influence of foreign governments whose interests, they said, were far from the peoples’’.

Although ECOWAS’ rules mandate a withdrawing member state to issue one year’s notice, the junta declared their secession as immediate. It was the first withdrawal nearly 24 years after Mauritania pulled out in December 2000.

On February 15, ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced plans to establish a confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States.

Tinubu said that during Saturday’s summit, leaders would receive a memorandum from the President of the ECOWAS Commission on the region’s peace, security, and political situation.

He explained that “The Memorandum will give us an update on the current situation in the Republics of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger.

“On that note, our decisions must be guided by our commitment to safeguarding the constitutional order, upholding democratic principles, and promoting the social and economic well-being of the citizens of the aforementioned countries.

“Furthermore, we will deliberate on the announced withdrawal from ECOWAS by the Republics of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In the spirit of collective security and African solidarity, we realize that the stability of these nations is intricately linked to the overall peace and security of West Africa.”

Therefore, the ECOWAS Chairman urged member states to engage in constructive deliberations to examine the actions taken by these countries and ensure that the citizens are not denied the benefits derived from the regional integration initiatives.

In a similar vein, Tinubu cited the recent decision by the Constitutional Council of Senegal to annul the postponement of the electoral process, describing it as “a matter that demands our attention.”