The President of Niger, General Abdourahamane Tiani, declared on December 17 that the decision to withdraw Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will not result in of chaos for these three member countries of the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)
“I would like to reassure all Nigeriens, and beyond, all our compatriots of the AES Confederation, that the exit from ECOWAS will not cause chaos in our countries and for their citizens,” affirmed the Head of State Nigerien in a message addressed to the nation, on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Niger, celebrated on December 18.
“In any case, all necessary measures will be taken to anticipate any eventuality,” he added.
Stressing that the decision to leave ECOWAS is “irreversible, after careful consideration”, Abdourahamane Tiani explained that this exit also allows “to definitively remove from foreign powers and their African allies all means and all legitimacy to wage war against us. through ECOWAS”.
The three AES countries announced their official withdrawal from ECOWAS on January 28, while the sub-regional organization, supported by France, was considering a military intervention in Niger to free and reinstate former President Mohamed Bazoum, overthrown by the coup of July 26, 2023.
In accordance with the statutes of the organization, the three countries will no longer be members of ECOWAS from January 29.
During a meeting in Abuja (Nigeria) on December 15, the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government took note of the notification of this withdrawal. She decided to establish a transition period of six months to define the terms of this withdrawal, while hoping that the three countries will reconsider their position.
Par The editorial staffEditorial Committee – Casablanca