Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger pull out of regional ECOWAS bloc

The military authorities in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, have announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

The three military leaders of the West African countries disclosed this in a joint statement on Sunday.

They explained that it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the Economic Community of West African States “without delay” after the bloc suspended the three countries following military takeovers.

As the three Sahelian countries fight to suppress insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the military chiefs of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have maintained that they want to restore security before holding elections.

They faulted the ECOWAS for failing to come to their rescue in the fight against insecurity while accusing the bloc of drifting away from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism.

“After 49 years, the valiant peoples of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger regretfully and with great disappointment observe that the (ECOWAS) organization has drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism,” Colonel Amadou Abdramane, Niger junta spokesman, said in the statement.

“The organization notably failed to assist these states in their existential fight against terrorism and insecurity,” Abdramane added.

For the time being, it is unknown how the decisions made by the juntas in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso would affect the 15-member regional bloc that allows people and products to move around freely.

As per the treaty of the bloc, states that intend to leave must provide a written notice of one year in advance. Currently, it’s unclear if all three states have taken this action. According to the treaty, they have to stick to its rules for the entire year.

Recall that Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have reached an agreement to protect each other in case of internal or external attack, especially from the regional ECOWAS bloc after the coup in Niamey.

ECOWAS had threatened to use Faso to expel the junta in Niger after President Mohamed Bazoum was kicked out of office in a highly condemned coup

The ECOWAS military chiefs at a summit in Ghana also said they had agreed on an unannounced day to move against the coup plotters.