The heads of state and government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting on Sunday for an ordinary summit in Abuja, announced a six-month withdrawal period for the military regimes of Burkina Faso, of Mali and Niger, after the date of their official departure from the organization at the end of January 2025, so that they can reconsider their decision.
According to Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, “the authorities recognize that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 91 of the revised ECOWAS treaty, the 3 countries will officially cease to be members of ECOWAS as of January 29, 2025”.
Furthermore, the West African organization decided to set up a “transition period” which will last until “July 29, 2025”, in order to “keep the doors of ECOWAS open to the three countries during this period”.
Still according to Omar Alieu Touray, the ECOWAS heads of state agreed to reappoint presidents Faure Gnassingbé of Togo and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal as mediators for a period of 6 months and that the doors of ECOWAS remain wide open.
Call for unity
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian president, also current president of ECOWAS, launched an appeal to his peers for the unity of the West African region.
“Together, let us continue to defend the process of a peaceful, secure and prosperous West Africa to build ECOWAS as a community of people anchored on the ideal of freedom, justice and democracy,” basically declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Just two days before the Abuja summit, the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – whose representatives were absent from Sunday’s summit – reaffirmed their “irreversible” decision to leave ECOWAS, saying the organization is exploited by France.
The departure of these three countries, which form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), could have significant economic and political implications, including the question of the free movement of people and goods in the region, where jihadist groups are gaining ground.
In July 2023, AES and ECOWAS severed relations after the coup in Niger, which was the sixth in the region in three years (two in Mali, two in Burkina and one in Guinea).
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Since then, the West African organization had threatened military intervention and heavy economic sanctions in Niamey, which were lifted.
General Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria, met General Moussa Salaou Barmou, Nigerien Chief of Staff, in late August to strengthen security cooperation, particularly communication between the two armies and participation in a common force along their border.
Another ECOWAS summit is planned for July 2025 to analyze the progress of the final withdrawal of the three countries concerned.
