Separatist states declare exit from West African bloc ‘irreversible’

NIAMEY, Niger, December 13, 2024 (BFF/AFP) – The military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger said Friday that their decision to leave the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which they condemned as subservient to the former French colonial ruler, was “irreversible”.

The statement from the trio of countries in the volatile Sahel region comes just as the regional group, the Economic Community of West African States, prepared on Sunday for a summit where leaders had hoped to find a solution to prevent them from leaving.

The three escapees have not announced their intention to attend. They held a separate ministerial meeting in Niger’s capital Niamey on Friday.

“The ministers reiterate the irreversible decision to withdraw from ECOWAS and commit to continuing a process of reflection on ways to exit in the best interest of their peoples,” they said in a joint statement.

The three countries launched their own regional bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), after breaking with France and pivoting toward Russia.

Their departure from ECOWAS could have a major impact on the free movement of people and goods in the region, which currently shares a common currency, the CFA franc.

The separatists, all of whom have experienced military coups and bloody insurrections by jihadist groups in recent years, announced in January that they were leaving ECOWAS.

According to the bloc’s rules, their departure takes effect one year after the announcement, in January 2025.

Their disagreement with ECOWAS came after it threatened military intervention following the July 2023 coup in Niger – the sixth in the region in three years – and imposed heavy sanctions on the country, sparking criticism. anger of the new military leaders.