Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger quit ECOWAS with immediate effect

In a shocking move in the West African sub-region, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on Sunday. They accused the ECOWAS of failing to help them in the fight against insurgencies that have affected their countries…

The military authorities in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, have announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

The three military leaders of the West African countries disclosed this in a joint statement on Sunday.

They explained that it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the Economic Community of West African States “without delay” after the bloc suspended the three countries following military takeovers.

As the three Sahelian countries fight to suppress extremist insurgencies, the military chiefs of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have maintained that they want to restore security before holding elections.

They also faulted the ECOWAS for failing to come to their rescue in the fight against insecurity while accusing the bloc of drifting away from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism.

They recently formed a security alliance against terrorism and to dispel possible aggression from the bloc after ECOWAS threatened to use Faso to expel the junta in Niger following the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum who was kicked out of office in a highly condemned coup.

The ECOWAS military chiefs at a summit in Ghana also said they had agreed on an unannounced day to move against the coup plotters.