ECOWAS: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger’s Exit Unhealthy For West Africa

Following the official exit of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), political experts have described the move as unhealthy for the region.

Experts such as the former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, and the director of Heritage Center, Abuja, Mr Katch Ononuju, enumerated the undermining of the mandate of the region’s security Joint Task Force and the reduction of the ECOWAS to a proxy region of a new war in Europe as fallouts of the move.

While counting the losses on both sides of the divides, Lolo said the geography and challenges of the region are such that both ECOWAS and the three countries will always need one another.

While their exit signifies their unfair treatment and sends a strong message to the world, it does not follow that ECOWAS should amend its rules and regulations, said Lolo.

“I think it’s the more reason ECOWAS shouldn’t relent in its resolve to safeguard democracy within the sub-region and ensure that those who come into power do so democratically.

“The security implication of their exit is that it has compromised the mandate and efficacy of the Multinational Joint Task Force.”

For Ononuju, ECOWAS’ inaction and lack of strategy to deal with crises in the subregion can turn it into a proxy region for a multipolar war in the West.

He traced the history of the departure to Francophone nations, 400 years of slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism under France, and Europe’s intention of constructing a gas pipeline through the Niger Republic to the latter that would supplant Russia’s Nordstrom gas pipeline.

He insisted that rather than acting on behalf of France, ECOWAS should act by welcoming their brothers who had just escaped longtime captivity.

“You cannot afford to be docile in a world where the war in Europe is being transported to your sub-region. A lot is at stake. There has been a shift from the intended unipolar war in the West to a multipolar war. ECOWAS needs to react to it.

“What Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic have done is to take a stride towards freedom. They are now seeking a resting place to accommodate their new freedom.”

Ononuju said allowing herself to become a proxy region in a new war in the West not only opens opposing political forces in Nigeria and other ECOWAS member state countries to political manipulation from Europe and Russia.

“We need to understand that nothing will save us in dealing with the West. If we play anyhow and become proxies in their games, Europeans can plot against us. So can Russia.

“Don’t forget we each have opposing forces politically and internally in our countries. Don’t do what will give those caucuses to start plotting with Russians and force an overthrow of the government. We (ECOWAS) should, at best, be neutral.