The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appears to have been torn apart following the decision of its three member states to exit the regional body on protest
By Lukmon Ojerinde
On Sunday, January 28, 2024, the now embattled Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sounded bewildered when it responded to the news of the withdrawal of their membership of the regional body by three member states to wit: Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic. To ECOWAS, it was an unexpected occurrence, which the body decided to take with a pinch of salt, estimating somehow, that it might have been a huge joke. But the exit was real.
In fact, ECOWAS’ terse statement to express ignorance of the exit of its three important members, all ruled by military junta, exposed how difficult it was for the body to accept it had lost three of its 15 member countries.
In the statement issued by ECOWAS Commission shortly after the news of the pull out filtered, the West African regional body said, “The attention of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) 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 States 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”.
In a move that sent shock waves across the sub-region, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic, pulled out of ECOWAS, alleging that the ECOWAS’ decisions were influenced by foreign powers.
In a joint statement, the three countries, accused the regional bloc of moving away from the ideals of its founding fathers, after nearly 50 years of its establishment.
Before the latest development, the 15 members of ECOWAS were Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The main goal of ECOWAS is to promote economic cooperation among member states in order to raise the living standards of their people and promote economic development of member states.
ECOWAS has also worked to address some security issues by developing a peacekeeping force for conflicts in the region.
But Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic accused the organisation of failing to assist them in their existential fight against terrorism and growing insecurity.
In the joint communiqué read on national television of each of the countries, the three aggrieved nations insisted that ECOWAS had become a threat to its founding members by embarking on inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its own rules.
“Eager to achieve integration between the States of the sub-region and driven by the ideals of fraternity, solidarity, mutual aid, peace and development, their Excellencies, Gen. Aboubacar Sangoulé Lamizana, Gen. Moussa Traoré, and Lieutenant – Colonel Seyni Kountché, respectively, Heads of State of Upper Volta (current Burkina Faso), Mali and Niger, created with 12 of their peers, on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, the Economic Community of States of West Africa (ECOWAS).
“After 49 years of existence, the valiant people of Burkina, Mali and Niger note with great regret, bitterness and great disappointment that their organisation has moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and from 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”, the communiqué read.
The military had seized power in the three countries, in part, triggered by frustrations over the failure of the authorities to stem an Islamist insurgency that troubled the Sahel region.
But in reaction, at an ECOWAS extraordinary session last year, presided by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, the organisation’s chairperson, in Abuja, a resolution was reached to impose several sanctions on the countries, especially Niger, over the military coups.
ECOWAS also issued a one-week ultimatum to the coup plotters in Niger to hand over power to the democratically elected government in that country.
Notably, on Tuesday, January 30, the lid was blown off the ECOWAS Commission’s eyes when the three aggrieved countries sent formal withdrawal notice to ECOWAS. This is even as Africa Union has expressed deep regret over the development.
The AU said it was in “deep regret” over the decision by the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from the West African bloc.
But Niger has now sent ECOWAS official notification of its withdrawal from the West African bloc, an official source said, a day after Mali and Burkina Faso did the same.
Niger’s foreign ministry has sent a note to ECOWAS formalising the country’s withdrawal from the regional body, according to the official source contacted by AFP.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger were founding members of ECOWAS in 1975, but the bloc suspended all three and imposed sanctions on them following military coups that overthrew elected civilian governments.
But as the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger exit from ECOWAS saga continues to rage, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi has blasted the ECOWAS for allowing itself to be turned to a confrontational field between America and Russia. Speaking on Arise Television on Monday, January 29, 2024, Akinyemi said, “We’ve got a major crisis on our hands”. He said Togo attending a meeting called by Niger which was on suspension from ECOWAS showed that “ECOWAS is in disarray”.
Speaking further, Akinyemi said, “I see the hand of Russia in this. I think Russia is emboldening these three countries to break up ECOWAS to weaken Western influence in Africa. But Russia has not shown it has the capability to contain the Jihad in the Sahel region.
“We have a confused situation in hand. In land mass these three countries have half of ECOWAS. But ECOWAS is being turned to a confrontational field between America and Russia.
Professor Akinyemi said the decision of the three countries to withdraw their membership from ECOWAS came shortly after Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, visited Nigeria. Akinyemi said since the three countries have departed the West African bloc, ECOWAS had no legal authority to compel them to remain members of ECOWAS.
He advised the Nigerian government to deploy its cordial relationship with Russia to tell the latter that Nigeria does not want to become victim of the confrontation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia.
Professor Akinyemi alleged that as Tinubu was in France when the three countries departed ECOWAS, there was an impression among the countries that left ECOWAS that the Commission’s policies were Western policies. “We see the hand of Russia in the exit of those three countries from ECOWAS, Russia can as well facilitate their return. ECOWAS is being tele-guided by foreign powers. The president is in France at the moment, reinforcing the impression that ECOWAS policy is foreign policy”, Akinyemi stated.
