The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Sunday said it was ready for “a negotiated solution” after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger quit the sub-regional body.
The military juntas in the three countries had, earlier yesterday, announced their withdrawal from the ECOWAS with immediate effect.
They said they were disappointed that the ECOWAS had moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.
They alleged that the regional bloc, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, had become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to guarantee.
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They also accused the regional bloc of having not provided assistance to their countries in their fights against terrorism and insecurity.
The three countries mulled a counterforce, which they called Alliance of Sahel States, against the regional bloc after the overthrow of the democratically elected government in Niger.
The ECOWAS had suspended the three countries following coups d’état. Mali was suspended in 2021 after two coups; Burkina Faso, in 2022, and Niger, in 2023.
The ECOWAS, under the leadership of Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, had threatened a military action if the Niger junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, refused to transfer power back to ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum.
But the regime had stuck to its guns, just as Mali and Burkina Faso had vowed to fight in defence of Niger.
The leaders of the three Sahel nations, in a joint communique, which was issued yesterday, said they had taken a sovereign decision to pull out their countries from ECOWAS.
The Presidency of the Republic of Niger, which released the communique, said it was done in Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niamey on January 28, 2024.
The communique reads: “Eager to achieve integration between the states of the sub-region and driven by the ideals of brotherhood, solidarity, mutual aid, peace and development, their Excellencies General Aboubacar Sangoulé Lamizana, General Moussa Traoré and Lieutenant Colonel Seyni Kountché, respectively, Heads of State of Upper Volta (current Burkina Faso), Mali and Niger, created with twelve (12) of their peers, on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“After 49 years of existence, the valiant people of Burkina, Mali and Niger note with much regret, bitterness and great disappointment that their organization has moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.
“Furthermore, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure.
“Indeed, the organization has not provided assistance to our states in the context of our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity; worse, when these States decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture by imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its own texts; all things which have further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence imposed by instrumentalized and remote-controlled terrorist hordes.
“Faced with this continuing situation, their Excellencies, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Colonel Assimi Goïta and Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tchiani, respectively Heads of State of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, taking all their responsibilities in the face of history and responding to the expectations, concerns and aspirations of their populations, decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States”, the communique said.
ECOWAS yet to receive formal notification of withdrawal
Reacting to the development, the ECOWAS Commission, in a statement yesterday, said the three countries “are important members of the Community”.
It said the regional bloc remained committed to “finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse.”
According to the statement: “The attention of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission) has been drawn to a statement broadcast on the National Televisions of Mali and Niger announcing the decision of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS.
“The ECOWAS Commission is yet to receive any direct formal notification from the three member states about their intention to withdraw from the Community.
“The ECOWAS Commission, as directed by the Authority of Heads of State and Government, has been working assiduously with these countries for the restoration of constitutional order.
“Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali remain important members of the Community and the Authority remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse.
“The ECOWAS Commission remains seized with the development and shall make further pronouncements as the situation evolves,” it stated.
Withdrawal will weaken ECOWAS – Diplomat
Ambassador Martins Cobham, a retired ambassador of Nigeria to South Africa and Venezuela, covering Columbia and Ecuador, told Daily Trust that the three countries’ withdrawal had set “the union apart and will weaken ECOWAS, reduce communication and reduce collaboration and cooperation.”
He said: “The issue of foreign policies is premised on national interest. If you are sanctioned by your co-travellers, you will look for other options.
“With the advent of Russian interests in these countries, they may have been advised to take an exit from the ECOWAS community.
“If you can’t get food and do those things you are familiar with, with your former friends, out of national pride, you would be forced to take alternatives and one of them is to let go of those friends,” the diplomat said.
“It will now make nonsense of the proposed monetary unit, the Eco. That is to say, the Eco has taken some steps backwards now. These countries now out of the ECOWAS community will not be part of the decision-making that would have brought to fusion the monetary system that we aspire for in ECOWAS.
“It will reduce the flow of goods and services. Mind you, Niger and Nigeria are so close. If the two countries are set apart, it will reduce to a large extent the movement of people between Nigeria and Niger.
“It is going to have a lot of impacts on the Nigeria/Niger relationship because if Mali works with Burkina Faso and Niger, they may decide to dam the River Niger, which will affect the Kanji Dam because we are not giving them electricity.
“What we are now faced with as members of ECOWAS is to pursue relentlessly those measures that will bring them back to the fold. That is, engage them to put up a programme and return to democratic rule in good time within the ECOWAS framework given to some of them”, the diplomat further advised.
Atiku urges Nigeria to tighten security
Reacting to the three countries’ exit from ECOWAS, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar, in a message he posted on X (formerly twitter), asked Nigeria to enhance its security measures.
The former vice president described the situation as a “serious diplomatic meltdown.”
He wrote: “Reports about the withdrawal of three countries from our sub-regional body, @ecowas_cedeao, is concerning. It is a matter of serious diplomatic meltdown.
“We must keep the country’s national security interest, especially the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and others in focus while we appraise the situation,” Atiku said.
Nigeria biggest loser of ECOWAS crisis – CISLAC
Speaking to Daily Trust on the development, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said: “Nigeria is the greatest loser in this walk-out of ECOWAS because Nigeria needs the support of these West African countries for its regional leadership, and Nigeria has failed in terms of creating a better way forward without being dogmatic in its own position.
“You do not need to be that strict for an issue that you completely do not have any legal backing to push those people out. All you need to do is to engage them to ensure that the return of the civilian regime is worked out as soon as possible”, he said.
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