Media Wire Express Correspondent
The military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced Sunday their immediate withdrawal from the West African bloc Ecowas.
The leaders of the three Sahel nations issued a statement saying it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the Economic Community of West African States “without delay”.
The decision by the three countries, announced in a joint statement read out on Niger national television, is a blow to the bloc’s regional integration efforts after it suspended the three countries following military takeovers.
Struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, the regimes have had tense ties with Ecowas since coups took place in Niger last July, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Mali in 2020.
Since the coups, and despite the sanctions, negotiations and threats of military intervention, the military leaders have failed to provide a clear time table to return the countries to constitutional rule.
Instead, they have hardened their rhetoric against the bloc and accused it of being influenced by external powers. The three countries have also cut military and cooperation ties with former colonial master France, and turned to Russia for security support.
The three military leaders in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, have argued that they want to restore security before organising elections as the three Sahel nations struggle contain insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
It is unclear for now how the decision by juntas in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali will impact the 15-member regional bloc where goods and citizens move freely.
Source: Reuters
