>
By Emmanuel Adeleke
The military regimes in Niger Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso have pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The three countries announced their decision in a joint statement, on Sunday.
They criticised ECOWAS over the sanctions imposed on them as part of efforts to reverse the coups in their respective countries.
“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,” the statement read.
They said it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the ECOWAS “without delay.”
Struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, the regimes have had tense ties with ECOWAS since coups took place in Niger in July 2023, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.
All three were suspended from ECOWAS, with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions.
They have hardened their positions in recent months and joined forces in an “Alliance of Sahel States.”
A French military withdrawal from the Sahel — the region along the Sahara desert across Africa — has heightened concerns over the conflicts spreading southward to the Gulf of Guinea states such as Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Ivory Coast.
The prime minister appointed by Niger’s military regime had on Thursday blasted ECOWAS for “bad faith” after the bloc shunned a planned meeting in Niamey, the country’s capital.
Niger had hoped for an opportunity to talk through differences with ECOWAS, which has cold-shouldered Niamey, imposing heavy economic and financial sanctions following the military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.