Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger announce Withdrawal From ECOWAS

By Hannah Nathan,Warri

The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, was informed on Sunday that the military governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger would be leaving the organization immediately.

This was revealed on Sunday in a joint statement by the leaders of the three Sahelian countries.

The decision to exit the Economic Community of West African States “without delay” was made “sovereignly,” according to the military juntas.
With severe penalties imposed on Niger and Mali, all three were expelled from ECOWAS.

In response to the most recent events, the juntas had consolidated their positions and formed a “Alliance of Sahel States.”

Niger had hoped for an opportunity to talk through differences with fellow states of ECOWAS, which has cold-shouldered Niamey, imposing heavy economic and financial sanctions following the military coup that overthrew elected president Mohamed Bazoum.

Congress learnt that after 49 years of existence, the brave people of Burkina, Mali and Niger note with much regret, bitterness and great disappointment that their Organization has moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and Pan-Africanism
terrorist hordes.

However, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betrayed its founding principles and had become a threat to its member states and populations whose happiness is supposed to ensure.

“Indeed, the Organization had not provided assistance to our States in the context of our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity; worse, when these States decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture by imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its texts, all things which have further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence inflicted by instrumentalized and remote-controlled”, the statement read.