ECOWAS leaders meet as junta-led Sahel states reaffirm exit

West African leaders from the regional group ECOWAS were meeting on Sunday for a summit with security and the departure from the bloc of three military-led governments high on the agenda.

Before the Economic Community of West Africa States meeting, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger reaffirmed as “irreversible” their decision to quit the bloc, which they condemned as subservient to ex-colonial ruler France.

The departure of the three could have a major impact on free trade and movement as well as on security cooperation in a region where jihadist groups are gaining ground across the Sahel.

Among those attending the summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja will be Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was appointed as a mediator with the breakaway states by the 15-member ECOWAS in July.

Faye said last week he was “making progress” in talks with the three and said there was no reason for them not to maintain relations, especially given the security situation.

The departure of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will become effective one year after the announcement, in January 2025, according to the bloc’s regulations.

The three states have also formed their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), after severing ties with France and pivoting towards Russia.

The three breakaways have not announced plans to attend the Abuja summit, but they held a separate ministerial-level meeting Friday in Niger’s capital, Niamey.

“The ministers reiterate the irreversible decision to withdraw from ECOWAS and are committed to pursuing a process of reflection on the means of exiting in the best interests of their peoples,” they said in a joint statement.

The three states have all gone through military coups and jihadist insurgencies in recent years. ECOWAS member state Guinea is also run by a military government after a 2021 coup.

– Army intervention threat –

Tensions with ECOWAS spiked after the group threatened a military intervention over a July 2023 coup in Niger — the region’s sixth in three years — and imposed heavy sanctions on the country.

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has also been mediating with the Sahel states.

In March, ECOWAS lifted some of the sanctions imposed on Niger in a bid to restart dialogue, especially over the fate of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum who has been detained since the coup.

Earlier this year, Nigeria’s top military commander met Niger’s army chief to strengthen security cooperation, especially communication between the two militaries and participation in a multi-national task force along the border area.

Since a coup in 2021, ECOWAS member Guinea has also been led by a military chief, General Mamady Doumbouya, who has since been sworn in as president.

Under pressure from ECOWAS, Guinea’s military-led leaders had agreed to organise elections by the end of 2024. But they have since admitted they will not live up to that commitment.