Recently, leaders of the West African regional grouping, ECOWAS approved the withdrawal of three countries ruled by the military from the bloc, but have offered a six-month grace period for them to reconsider.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic plan to withdraw from ECOWAS in January after refusing the bloc’s demand to restore democratic rule.
Recall that the three departing countries were founding members of ECOWAS when it was established in 1975 to improve economic and political integration in West Africa, so this is a huge blow to what was Africa’s most developed trade grouping.
Citizens of all ECOWAS currently have the right to live and work in all member states, while goods can circulate freely.
ECOWAS has not yet said whether it will impose restrictions on people and goods coming from the three departing states, who have formed a new grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States, AES, from its French acronym.
The ECOWAS Commission in Abuja has been mandated to work out such issues, and how the two blocs should work together in future.
At the weekend, the AES announced visa-free travel and residency rights for ECOWAS citizens.
Their leaders said this decision had been taken in the spirit of friendship, and to strengthen centuries-old ties among African people.
However, the three countries are poor and landlocked, so most migrants move from them to the richer, coastal countries in West Africa.
However, the ECOWAS leaders in its meeting in Abuja, recently said they respected the three Sahel countries’ decision to leave but offered a transitional period of six months.
In the period between January 29, and July 29, 2025, the trio can be readmitted to the bloc should they decide to rejoin the community, a communique from ECOWAS noted.
In the meantime negotiations have continued to convince the three Sahel states to return to the bloc.
Indeed, the military juntas have remained adamant on the issue to remain in the bloc notwithstanding attempts to persuade them.
It was reported that after a ministerial-level meeting recently in Niger’s capital, Niamey, the three states said in a joint statement that their decision was “irreversible”.
We see their withdrawal as what would be a blow to regional unity and efforts to boost economic and security cooperation.
From what is obvious, the exit of immense concern for the block as ECOWAS Commission’s Head, Omar Touray was quoted as their “impending exit” was “disheartening”, even as he “commends the ongoing mediation efforts”.
Analysts say with their planned departure, the bloc will lose 76 million of its 446 million people and more than half its total geographical land area.
AES chairman, Mali’s military ruler, Assimi Goïta, said the right of ECOWAS citizens to “enter, circulate, reside, establish and leave the territory” of the new bloc would be maintained.
His statement was seen as a signal to ECOWAS leaders that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger wanted to maintain good relations, despite quitting the bloc.
The three states gave notice to ECOWAS in January 2023 that they would withdraw in a year, meeting the timeline set by the bloc for states that decide to leave.
Relationships between the bloc and the three countries have been tense after military coups took place in Niger in July, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.
ECOWAS condemned the coups, and suspended their membership, hoping they will restore civilian rule.
But the coup leaders dug in their heels, and have pivoted towards Russia.
They accused ECOWAS of being too close to Western powers, but the trio have increasingly relied on Russia to fight armed jihadists who are waging an insurgency in the region.
What are the conditions precedents before the juntas struck? The reports were damning and reflected an embarrassing failure of statecraft.
To further buttress the fact of these distressing scenarios wild jubilations in these countries among especially young people points to the fact that leadership was in deficit in terms of good governance.
AljazirahNigeria is of the view that there is the need for states across the bloc to respond to the socio-economic conditions, ameliorate poverty, create jobs and improve living conditions generally as this is the best way to keep the juntas at bay and enhance democratic values.
