On Sunday, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso jointly announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African subregional bloc.
News About Nigeria gathered that the decision was made in the wake of coups that overthrew the governments of these nations, with Niger being the most recent nation to suffer a military coup.
The military juntas in the three West African countries accused ECOWAS of imposing ‘inhumane’ sanctions on them to force a reversal of the coups.
In a joint statement broadcast on state television, the military leaders stated that they have “decided in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”
They alleged that the regional bloc had “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism” after nearly 50 years of its establishment.
The statement further criticised ECOWAS, claiming that the organisation, influenced by foreign powers, had betrayed its founding principles and become a threat to its member states and populations.
This announcement follows ECOWAS’s efforts to return the countries to civilian rule, which included the imposition of sanctions in response to the coups.
The regional bloc has engaged in negotiations and demanded transitions to civilian rule in the affected nations.
ECOWAS had planned a ministerial mission to visit Niamey on January 25, but it was delayed due to technical issues with the chartered aircraft.
In a statement, ECOWAS apologised for the delay and maintained that it is committed to negotiating a solution to the political problems in the sub-region.
