Leaders of the West African regional grouping, Ecowas, have approved the withdrawal of three countries ruled by the military from the bloc, but have offered a six-month grace period for them to reconsider. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger plan to withdraw from Ecowas in January after refusing the bloc’s demand to restore democratic rule. This is the first time any country has left Ecowas since it was established in 1975 to improve economic and political integration in West Africa.
The three departing countries were founding members so this is a huge blow to what was Africa’s most developed trade grouping.
Citizens of all Ecowas countries currently have the right to live and work in all member states, while goods can circulate freely.
Ecowas has not yet said whether it will impose restrictions on people and goods coming from the three departing states, who have formed a new grouping, the Alliance of Sahelian States (ASS).
Over the weekend, the ASS announced visa-free travel and residency rights for Ecowas citizens. Their leaders said this decision had been taken in the spirit of friendship, and to strengthen centuries-old ties among African people.
Ecowas leaders meeting in Nigeria on Sunday said they respected the three Sahel countries’ decision to leave but offered a transitional period of six months. In the period between 29 January and 29 July 2025, the trio can be readmitted to the bloc should they decide to rejoin the community.
The Ecowas Commission in Abuja has been mandated to work out such issues, and how the two blocs should work together in future.
After a ministerial-level meeting on Friday in Niger’s capital, Niamey, the three states said in a joint statement that their decision was “irreversible”. Their withdrawal would be a major blow to regional unity and efforts to boost economic and security cooperation.
With their planned departure, the bloc will lose 76 million of its 446 million people and more than half its total geographical land area.
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