The military regimes in Mali, Niger Republic and Burkina Faso have announced the immediate withdrawal of their membership from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in protest to their suspension from the regional bloc.
The leaders of the three West African countries issued a statement on Sunday, saying it was their “sovereign decision” to leave the ECOWAS “without delay”.
Struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, the regimes have had tense ties with ECOWAS since coups took place in Niger on July 26, 2023, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.
All three were suspended from ECOWAS, with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions.
When LEADERSHIP contacted the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja on Sunday evening, it was yet to come up with any response to the action of the three Sahel countries.
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