ECOWAS Holds 66th Ordinary Summit Amid Departure of Military-Led States
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened its 66th Ordinary Summit in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday, focusing on security challenges and the impending departure of three member states — Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — from the bloc.
Key Issues at the Summit
- Withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger
- The three military-led governments reaffirmed their “irreversible” decision to leave ECOWAS, citing the bloc’s alignment with former colonial power France.
- Their departure, effective January 2025, poses significant challenges to regional free trade, movement, and security cooperation amid escalating jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel.
- The trio has since established their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and strengthened ties with Russia.
- Mediation Efforts
- Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, appointed as ECOWAS mediator, reported progress in talks with the breakaway states. He emphasized the need for continued cooperation, especially on security.
- Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has also engaged in dialogue to ease tensions.
- Regional Security Concerns
- The Sahel region remains a hotspot for jihadist activities, exacerbated by the political instability in the three departing states.
- ECOWAS previously threatened military intervention following Niger’s 2023 coup, imposing sanctions that strained relations further.
Guinea’s Situation
- Another ECOWAS member, Guinea, also led by a military government, remains under scrutiny. Despite earlier commitments to organize elections by the end of 2024, Guinea’s leaders recently admitted they would not meet this deadline.
ECOWAS Response and Future Challenges
- The departure of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger could undermine ECOWAS’s influence in the region, impacting trade, movement, and collective security measures.
- ECOWAS leaders continue to explore avenues for dialogue while facing mounting pressure to address governance and security issues across its member states.
The summit underscores the growing complexity of regional diplomacy, highlighting the tension between ECOWAS’s efforts to maintain stability and the assertive autonomy of its military-led members.
