Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic will cease to be members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) starting in 2025.
This announcement was made by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Alieu Touray, during the 66th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government held in Abuja on Sunday.
The development follows the earlier decision by the military governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS in January 2024. Their withdrawal came after suspensions and sanctions were imposed on them by the bloc due to the coups in their respective countries.
Touray revealed that the official timeline for their exit is set between January 29 and July 29, 2025. This period is intended to allow room for final mediations and possible diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation.
The announcement aligns with a previous joint statement from the three military-led governments, declaring their decision to leave ECOWAS as “irreversible.” They accused the regional bloc of prioritizing the interests of France, their former colonial power, and expressed a commitment to pursuing a new direction for their nations.
The decision comes ahead of a significant ECOWAS summit, where leaders had hoped to negotiate a resolution to retain the three countries within the regional body.
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