By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Political Stability Threatened as Regional Leaders Consider Options
The West African bloc ECOWAS has warned that it risks disintegration and increased insecurity following the formal breakaway of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The head of the ECOWAS commission stated that the move could have serious consequences if not reversed, marking a significant blow to the 50 year old bloc.
On Saturday, the military leaders of the three countries declared they were "irrevocably" withdrawing from the 15 member ECOWAS to form a confederation of their own states. These juntas came into power after a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, with ECOWAS responding by imposing sanctions and demanding a swift restoration of civilian rule. Though ECOWAS even threatened military intervention, it later backed down, and some sanctions have since been lifted. The bloc has been attempting to persuade the juntas to reconsider their departure.
ECOWAS warns that this move could disrupt the free movement of people across the region and undermine efforts to combat regional insecurity, particularly in intelligence sharing. "Our region is facing the risk of disintegration," ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray warned on Sunday.
In response to the crisis, ECOWAS has appointed Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to mediate. His appointment, decided at an ECOWAS summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday, is seen as a strategic choice. Faye, being of the same generation as the three military rulers and sharing their criticism of Western powers' roles in the region, is considered well suited to facilitate negotiations.
The three military led countries have expelled French soldiers, who were aiding in the fight against jihadist groups, and have turned towards Russia for military assistance. In a related development, Germany's defense ministry announced that its army will end operations in Niger at the end of next month following a breakdown of talks with the ruling junta. This follows the US's completion of troop withdrawals from an air base in Niamey, leaving remaining forces at just one drone base in Agadez.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, reappointed as ECOWAS chairperson, emphasized the need for new partnerships to address the political, economic, and security challenges facing West Africa and the Sahel region. On Saturday, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger signed a treaty to form the Alliance of Sahel States, a new confederation. They agreed to build common institutions and infrastructure to facilitate the free movement of their citizens within the three countries.
While ECOWAS citizens are currently free to live and work in all member countries, the departure of the three nations would mean their citizens lose that right unless a new deal is reached. West African leaders are concerned that jihadist groups could exploit the Sahel borders to infiltrate neighboring countries, threatening regional security. The junta led states have been the worst affected by Islamist insurgencies, a key reason cited for the military coups.
Adama Gaye, a former ECOWAS director of communications, called the junta's confederation a "very big blow" to the bloc, noting that the three nations are founding members of ECOWAS, established in 1975. However, he also criticized ECOWAS, suggesting that while it pushes for free and fair elections, several of its members are not "true democracies" themselves. "ECOWAS should make an effort to avoid becoming an institutional laughing stock, because how can you implement this. when most of the other countries claiming to uphold that demand for democracy are not themselves true democracies," he told Newsday.
