Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger exit regional ECOWAS bloc amid rising tensions

Three military-led West African nations have all announced their immediate withdrawal from The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the regional group of falling “under the influence of foreign powers” and becoming a threat to its members.
The decision by the coup-born governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS follows the establishment in December 2023 of their own confederation. All three Sahel nations “decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal” from the ECOWAS that has been “under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its population,” read a joint statement published on Sunday (28 January). The three military-led governments also accused the regional body of failing to support their fight against “terrorism and insecurity”, while imposing “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions”.
All three coup-founded states, whose military governments share anti-West ideals and have opted to govern based on their ideologies, have subsequently faced heavy sanctions and ultimatums from ECOWAS. Military power grabs took place in Mali in 2020 and 2021, in Burkina Faso in 2022 and in Niger in 2023. Their rejection of Western ideals and acceptance of Russian sentiments particularly in the case of Burkina Faso, has also raised a few eyebrows. After cutting military ties with France, the former colonial power, military leaderships in the three nations have vowed to tackle the rise of violent armed groups in their countries and have joined forces in the so-called “Alliance of Sahel States”.