ECOWAS finally approves the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the bloc
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has formally approved the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the regional body. The approval comes just days after President Bola Tinubu promised German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that ECOWAS would handle the three countries' return to the group wisely. The decision, taken by the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government, marked a significant change in the geopolitical landscape of West Africa.
Omar Alieu Touray declared that the three countries officially ceased to be members of ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, in accordance with article 91 of the revised ECOWAS treaty. Following their notifications of withdrawal, the regional bloc has defined a transition period from January 29 to July 29, 2025, leaving its doors open for the countries to reconsider their decision.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have accused the regional bloc of departing from its founding ideals and succumbing to outside influences, criticizing in particular the imposition of sanctions aimed at reversing their respective coups. This follows a series of military coups - in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023 - which have each led to suspensions from ECOWAS and strained relations with the organization. At the same time, Tinubu called on West African leaders to take inspiration from Ghana's recent peaceful elections, which he described as a model of democratic maturity and commitment to national unity.
Speaking at the opening of the 66th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS in Abuja, Tinubu congratulated President Nana Akufo-Addo and the people of Ghana on the resounding success of their recent presidential and parliamentary elections, which set a high standard for the region. He urged the region to “ learn from this good democratic practice and prioritise our countries’ national unity to ensure political stability of the region so that this manner of peaceful transition becomes the culture of democracy, not only in West Africa, but also in the entire Africa continent”.