West Africa bloc meets as military rulers vow to quit

 

West African leaders from the regional group ECOWAS are 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.