This is not yet official, it will be on January 29, but the machine is launched. The pan-African site Afrik.com explain : ” before the summit of the ECOWAS on Sunday in Abuja, the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger (brought together within the AES, the alliance of ANDtook you Sahel) reaffirmed their intention to leave the organization permanently, describing their departure as“irreversible”. They justified this decision by believing that the organization was used as a tool of France; an accusation which reflects the intensification of tensions between these countries and the former colonial power. Despite this rupture, pointe Afrik.com, ECOWAS continues to welcome the diplomatic efforts underway to try to maintain ties with these nations. Et “according to the rules of the organization, the countries in question will no longer be members of ECOWAS after January 29, but the option of reintegration remains open » within 6 months.
« Six month of moratorium before stormy divorce », exclaims the daily Today in Ouagadougou. “ ECOWAS therefore gives a six-month moratorium to Maliau Burkina Faso and at Niger to think carefully and decide whether the AES will push the still ajar door in Abuja, or if it will close it definitively behind it. (…) If on June 30, 2025, the AES remains upright, the divorce will be pronounced, pointe Today. Unless, in the meantime, Faure from Togo and Bassirou Faye from Senegal succeed in moving the lines. Which we must doubt, given the inflexibility of Goïta, IB and Tiani! »
New era for the Sahelian States?
For the information site Sahel Tribune in Mali, it is recorded… And this is a “ revolution » : « the announced withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS marks a major turning point for the Sahel region. (…) This decision reflects the desire of the leaders of these countries to regain control of their destiny, in the face of institutions perceived as disconnected from local realities “. It is “ of a new era for the Sahelian States, driven by bold leadership, focused on sovereignty, solidarity and self-determination ».
Sahel Tribune returns to the reasons for this withdrawal: “ first, the economic and political sanctions imposed by ECOWAS during recent transitions were perceived as unfair and counterproductive, affecting the populations more than the regimes in place. These measures have reinforced the idea that ECOWAS sometimes acts under external influences, to the detriment of local interests. Afterwards, point again Sahel Tribune, ECOWAS has failed to respond to the region’s major security challenges, particularly in the face of the rise of terrorism and chronic instability. By withdrawing, AES members intend to build a regional architecture that better meets their specific needs, by putting forward African solutions to African problems. ».
ECOWAS indictment…
The information site Maurya in Niger also sharply attacks ECOWAS: “ the questions of “good governance, regional economic integration, peace, security or even the fight against terrorism” have completely lost their meaning in the West African regional community space, denounces Mourya, due to the silence of heads of state, or even their contempt for the fate of the populations of the Sahel who have been prey to terrorism for more than a decade, and this without the slightest support from ECOWAS and its leaders inclined to play the role of puppets alongside the old French or English metropolises ».
Finally, for Ledjely in Guinea, the West African organization can only blame itself. “ ECOWAS leaders must begin with introspection. This will lead them to realize or admit that the organization is in crisis. And they are largely responsible for this crisis. And not only because they tend to play with texts to stay in power. This defect is the effect and not the cause. The fault of our leaders today, point again Ledjely, lies in the fact of having lost sight of the meaning of the historical march of their people. (…) Beyond the legal reforms sold as gadgets, the leaders of the Cédéao space must invest in the reconstruction of an organization which reflects the values of the societies which make up the space it covers. Which in itself implies that each of the leaders questions themselves ».
