The Economic Community of West African States hopes to use this time to convince the three countries to stay in the bloc.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will have a six-month grace period after leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), scheduled for January 29, a year after the countries announced their intention to leave.
The decision, reached at a summit of West Africa's main political and economic bloc this weekend in the Nigerian capital Abuja, was seen as a last-ditch effort to put the three countries on go from going, a movement that the block has so far been unable to stop. . Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger reiterated that their decision to leave is “inevitable”.
The three countries, located in the central Sahel region, which is torn by terrorism, have formed their own group called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The new effective withdrawal date has now been extended to July 29, although January 29 will still be the official withdrawal date. The bloc hopes to use the six-month transition period to force the countries to return.
On Saturday, the three countries said their territories would remain visa-free for all ECOWAS citizens after their departure. This move has eased concerns that they could threaten free trade and the movement of the 400 million people who live across the region.
Among those present at the summit was the President of Senegal Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who has been the mediator between the 15-member bloc and the three countries that are about to leave.
The Senegalese president, who was named to lead negotiations in July, said he was “making progress” in talks with the three countries and said there was no reason for them not to maintain relations amid ongoing security concerns in the region, where it is possible Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) have gained ground.
The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS would mark the end of a turbulent period for the Sahel, where a series of coups since 2020 have brought military authorities to power. The new governments have encouraged closer ties with Russia at the expense of its former colonial ruler, France, and other one-time allies from the region and beyond.
Source link
