Sahel juntas reject regional bloc withdrawal delay
It seems the juntas of Sahel states Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are determined to forge a new path, rejecting a proposal to stay in a decades-old union of West African states.
The proposal from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, was to delay the exit of the three countries by six months, and was seen as a final effort to prevent a fracture in the bloc, according to Business Insider Africa on December 23rd.
ECOWAS, formed in 1975, has long been a key regional player. However, these moves from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, who also formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2023, marks a major shift in the composition of the bloc.
READ: French army says it has begun withdrawal from Chad
Mali’s military leader, General Assimi Goita, described the move as “yet another destabilization attempt” targeting the Sahel nations in a joint statement issued on December 23rd.
The three juntas had been granted a chance to extend their scheduled January 29th withdrawal date until next July, allowing mediators more time to convince them to stay in ECOWAS.
The decision to leave however is “immediate and irreversible,” Goita asserted. The statement also says that the the defence and security forces of the three countries have been placed on “maximum alert.”
All three of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have all severed security ties with France in recent years, instead choosing to strengthen alliances with countries like Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
READ: Chad ends French troop presence, Senegal to follow
These exists reduce the population of ECOWAS by 76 million out of a current 446 million and cut its total geographical land area by more than half.
ECOWAS will be left with 12 active member states, excluding Guinea, which is still suspended following its military coup in 2021. Those countries are Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Business Insider Africa
