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The West African regional organization, ECOWAS, has set a timeline for the exit of three countries from the bloc due to military coups over the past three years. This decision aims to prevent a division within the organization.
Omar Touray, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, announced that the transitional period for the three countries—Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso—will run from January 29, 2025, to July 29, 2025, while keeping the door open for them during this period. This decision was made during the ECOWAS summit, with Touray expressing that it was “disheartening.”
In January of this year, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS, citing the bloc’s sanctions and its failure to address ongoing security challenges.
Countries that are members of ECOWAS enjoy several benefits, including visa-free travel between member states. It remains uncertain whether these three countries will continue to enjoy these benefits during the sanction period.
ECOWAS, which is nearly 50 years old, has seen the military governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso firmly reject attempts to convince them to reconsider their withdrawal. The three countries are exploring issuing their own travel documents and forming a separate alliance. The one-year notice period for their exit is expected to conclude as planned.
Touray praised the dedication of ECOWAS envoys in their efforts to address the ongoing crisis, stating, “These initiatives highlight your shared commitment to maintaining peace and unity in our region.”
Nigerian President and ECOWAS Chairman, Bola Tinubu, emphasized that global and regional challenges are testing their collaborative spirit. He said, “We must remain focused on our primary duty, which is to safeguard our citizens and foster an environment where they can thrive.”
When questioned about the potential consequences in July, Touray, the ECOWAS Commission president, noted, “Exiting an agreement, particularly one concerning free trade and the movement of people, carries the risk of losing those benefits.”
On Saturday, the three countries issued a joint statement declaring that while their territories would remain open to citizens from West Africa without visas, they “reserve the right to deny entry to any ECOWAS national categorized as inadmissible immigrants.”
Since its establishment in 1975, ECOWAS has been the primary political authority in West Africa, and this division represents its greatest challenge to date, according to Babacar Ndiaye, a senior fellow at the Timbuktu Institute for Peace Studies in Senegal.
Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, pointed out that the likelihood of ECOWAS successfully reintegrating the three countries is low, mainly because the bloc seeks a swift return to democratic governance, which the military juntas have not committed to uphold.
Durmaz added that allowing the military juntas to retain power “could lead to further regional fragmentation,” while recognizing them as legitimate authorities would represent “a serious deviation from ECOWAS’s founding principles.”
He also noted that the regional bloc has not effectively managed the situation, mentioning that the varying responses from ECOWAS to the coups in the region suggest that its position is shaped more by the political aspirations of its member states than by its core mission of fostering democratic governance.
Arop