The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) rejects the announcement made by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger that they are leaving the regional block with immediate effect, saying it has yet to receive a formal notification of their intention to leave.
In a communique released after the news of their purported withdrawal, the ECOWAS said the three countries are still important members of the Community, and they working assiduously to restore constitutional order to the region.
Article 91 of the ECOWAS Treaty stated that every member state that seeks to withdraw its members from the Community must give a one-year notice, and the member is still bound by the rules of the community during the transition.
It could be recalled that Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso said they are leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with immediate effect. A joint statement by the three countries was read out on Niger’s national television, Reuters writes.
“After 49 years, the valiant peoples of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger note with regret and great disappointment that the ECOWAS organization has departed from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism,” Colonel Amadou Abdraman, a spokesman for Niger’s authorities, said in a statement.
Abdramana added that the organization has failed to help these states in their fight against terrorism and secure their territories. Mali and Burkina Faso warned of plans to leave the Economic Community of West African States as early as August last year.
“Any military intervention against Niger would lead to the withdrawal of Burkina Faso and Mali from ECOWAS, as well as the adoption of legitimate defense measures in support of the armed forces and the people of Niger,” that statement read.
The transitional governments of the Sahel countries expressed support for Niger following the July 26, 2023 coup d’état there that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum and imprisoned him in his presidential residence. Abdurahmane Tchiani became head of the transitional government while the ECOWAS condemned the coup and imposed severe sanctions on the country which hit the economy amid international isolation.
ECOWAS demanded that President Mohamed Bazoum be returned to power within a week, effectively issuing an ultimatum to the new authorities in the Niger. If the demand was not met, the Union threatened Niger to use “all measures,” including military action.
Although military measures were never applied, ECOWAS subjected Niger to harsh sanctions. According to Louise Oben, the UN Resident Coordinator in Niger, this has led to the country “quickly running out of funding, of medicine. People are running out of food.”
