ECOWAS warns of regional ‘disintegration’ as three coup-hit Sahel states form confederation

An ECOWAS summit opened on Sunday (7 July), a day after the military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a confederation treaty in the latest show of their shift away from traditional regional and Western allies.

During a summit in the Niger’s capital of Niamey on Saturday (6 July), the three junta leaders signed a treaty establishing ‘Confederation of Sahel States’, hailing it as a step “towards greater integration” between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. After a series of coups that saw the trio seizing power, the three neighbors quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January, accusing France of interference and the bloc of failing its mandate and pledged to consolidate their union. The newly formed ‘Confederation of Sahel States’ aims to strengthen a mutual defense pact announced last year, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

The formation of Sahel alliance by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger overshadows an ECOWAS summit that has been hosted in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Several ECOWAS leaders have expressed their concern about the consequences of the creation of a “Confederation of Sahel States,” warning that it could lead to political isolation and increased insecurity and calling for a resumption of dialogue with the three coup-hit Sahel countries. The head of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, warned that the three Sahel countries risked “political isolation”, losing millions of dollars in funding and hampering freedom of movement. But the three junta leaders remain defiant, with Niger’s military leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani describing the nearly 50-year-old ECOWAS as “a threat to our states”.w