West African bloc Economic Community of West African States has warned it risks disintegration and heightened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalized a breakaway alliance.
The head of the ECOWAS commission said the move was a major blow to the 50-year-old group and could have serious consequences if they did not reverse their decision.
It comes after the three countries’ military leaders said on Saturday they “irrevocably” rejected the 15-member ECOWAS forming a federation of their own countries.
The military junta came to power after a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, and ECOWAS responded by imposing sanctions demanding a swift return to civilian rule.
The Economic Community of West African States even threatened to use force before backing down.
Some sanctions have been lifted and the EU has been seeking the countries’ return.
ECOWAS said the junta’s latest move could disrupt the freedom of movement of people in the region and undermine efforts to combat regional insecurity, particularly in intelligence sharing.
“Our region is at risk of fragmentation,” ECOWAS Commission Chairman Omar Aliu Toure warned on Sunday.
The European Union has appointed Senegalese President Basilou Diomaye Faye to mediate the crisis.
His appointment was decided on Sunday at the ECOWAS summit in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Mr Faye was touted as having the ability to serve as coordinator in a mission expected to face significant challenges.
He is from the same generation as the three military rulers, is much younger than other leaders in the region, and shares the junta’s criticism of the role of Western powers in the region, especially France, the former colonial ruler of the four countries.
They both expelled French soldiers there on counter-jihadi missions and sought military aid from Russia.
In a related development, the German Defense Ministry announced that German troops will end operations in Niger by the end of next month after talks with the ruling military government broke down.
Previously, the United States had withdrawn its troops from an air base in the capital Niamey, and the remaining troops were only stationed at a drone base in the central city of Agadez.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who was reappointed as ECOWAS chairperson, also stressed the need for new partnerships to overcome the political, economic and Security challenges.
On Saturday, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a treaty to form a new alliance – the Alliance of Sahel States.
They agreed to establish common institutions and infrastructure to help their citizens move freely within the three countries.
ECOWAS citizens can live and work freely in all member states, but if the three countries leave the bloc, their citizens will lose this right unless a new deal is struck.
West African leaders are concerned that jihadist groups could spread across the Sahel borders into neighboring countries, a situation that could have adverse consequences for their citizens and regional security.
Countries led by military juntas have been the worst affected by the Islamic insurgency, which is one of the reasons why military leaders seized power.
