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The Economic Community of West African States hopes to use this time to convince the three nations to stay in the bloc.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will have a six-month grace period after they leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), scheduled for January 29. a year after the countries announced their intentions to leave.
The decision, made at a summit of West Africa’s main political and economic group this weekend in the Nigerian capital Abuja, was seen as a last-ditch effort to dissuade the three countries from leaving, a move the bloc has so far couldn’t stop . Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger reaffirmed that their decision to leave is “irreversible”.
The three countries, located in the insurgency-torn central Sahel region, have formed their own group called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The new effective departure date has been extended to July 29, although January 29 will remain the official withdrawal date. The bloc hopes to use the six-month transition period to convince countries to return.
On Saturday, the three nations declared that their territories would remain visa-free for all ECOWAS citizens after departure. This move has eased concerns that its departure could threaten free trade and movement for the 400 million people who live across the region.
Among those attending the summit was Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who has served as a mediator between the 15-member bloc and the three countries that will leave.
The Senegalese president, who was appointed to lead the negotiations in July, said he was “making progress” in talks with the three countries, adding that there was no reason for them not to maintain relations amid current security concerns in the region, where Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) have gained ground.
The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS would mark the culmination of a tumultuous period for the Sahel, where a series of coups since 2020 have brought military authorities to power. The new governments have fostered closer ties with Russia at the expense of its former colonial ruler, France, and other allies in the region and beyond.
