The withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, takes effect on Wednesday after a year of political tensions, fracturing the region and leaving the bloc with an uncertain future.
Arogidigba Global Journal recalls that on January 29, 2024, the three countries, led by military regimes, formally notified ECOWAS of their desire for immediate withdrawal from the bloc.
However, the texts of the West African organisation required a one-year notice for it to be effective.
This will happen on Wednesday, with all three countries having ignored ECOWAS’s call to extend the period by six months in an attempt to find a solution.
Arogidigba Global Journal gathered that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are now united in a confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States, AES.
Their military rulers alleged that ECOWAS imposed inhuman, illegal, and illegitimate sanctions against them following the coups that brought them to power.
According to the trio, the West African organisation has not done enough to help them combat jihadist violence. ECOWAS, they argue, is subservient to their former colonial ruler, France.
It was gathered that Paris has become the common enemy of the juntas, which now favour partnerships with countries such as Russia, Turkey, and Iran.
The 2023 coup in Niger sparked the rupture.
ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily to reinstate the deposed president and imposed heavy economic sanctions on Niamey, which have now been lifted.
The three countries will put their own common passport into circulation on Wednesday and have announced a unified army of 5,000 men to fight the jihadists soon.
According to the founder of the West African think tank Wathi, Gilles Yabi, the loss of three founding members will weaken ECOWAS’s ability to regulate political crises in the region.