The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has given Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso up till July next year to reconsider their planned withdrawal from the regional bloc.
In a communique after their meeting yesterday at the Presidential Villa Abuja, the regional body noted the decision of the three countries to withdraw from ECOWAS but stated that officially they would cease to be members from 29 January 2025.
The presidents of Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, and Senegal attended the 66th Ordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in person alongside the Vice President of Sierra Leone, the Finance Minister of the Benin Republic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo, and the Ambassador of Cape Verde to Nigeria.
The communique read by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, said "The authority takes note of the notification by Burkina Faso, Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger of their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS.
"The authority acknowledges that in accordance with the provisions of Article 91 of the revised ECOWAS treaty, the three countries will officially cease to be members of ECOWAS from 29 January, 2025.
"The authority decides to set the period from 29 January, 2025 to 29 July 2025 as a transitional period and to keep ECOWAS doors open to the three countries during the transition period.
The communique added, "In this regard, the authority extends the mandate of President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal to continue their mediation up to the end of the transition period to bring the three member countries back to ECOWAS.
"Without prejudice for the spirit of the opening, the Authority directs the President of the Commission to launch withdrawal formalities after the deadline of 29th January, 2025 and to draw up a contingency plan covering various areas."
The authority also directed the Council of Ministers to convene an extraordinary session during the second quarter of 2025 to consider and adopt both separation modalities and the contingency plan covering political and economic relations between ECOWAS and the Republic of Niger, the Republic of Mali and Burkina Faso.
ECOWAS also commended the exemplary diplomatic engagement of President Faye of the Republic of Senegal, and President Gnassingbé of Togolese Republic, and the diplomatic efforts of the chairman of authority, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other individual member states towards these three countries.
Before the ECOWAS meeting, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger reaffirmed as "irreversible" their decision to quit the bloc, which they condemned as subservient to ex-colonial ruler France.
Senegal's President Faye was appointed as a mediator with the breakaway states by the 15-member ECOWAS in July.
Faye said last week he was "making progress" in talks with the three and said there was no reason for them not to maintain relations, especially given the security situation.
The three states have also formed their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), after severing ties with France and moving towards Russia.
The three breakaways held a separate ministerial-level meeting Friday in Niger's capital, Niamey.
The three states have all gone through military coups and jihadist insurgencies in recent years.
Tensions with ECOWAS spiked after the group threatened a military intervention over a July 2023 coup in Niger - the region's sixth in three years - and imposed heavy sanctions on the country.
Togo's President Gnassingbe has also been mediating with the Sahel states.
In March, ECOWAS lifted some of the sanctions imposed on Niger in a bid to restart dialogue, especially over the fate of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum who has been detained since the coup.
The departure of the three could have a major impact on free trade and movement as well as on security cooperation in a region where jihadist groups are gaining ground across the Sahel.
Speaking about the new development, Ambassador Suleiman Dahiru, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Brazil and other countries, said the three Sahelian countries had no intention of reversing their decision to exit ECOWAS having gone ahead to create their own body and develop their own International Passport.
Amb Dahiru said with their exit, ECOWAS would be losing another three members after losing Mauritania earlier.
The former diplomat noted that their final exit would impact movement and economic activities within the region as visa would now be needed for citizens to travel to ECOWAS countries and vice versa.
In the security aspect, Amb Dahiru is not expecting much difference from what is currently playing out, assuring that Niger would continue to protect its own side of the border with Nigeria and will continue to battle insurgents on its soil while Nigeria will continue to do the same at its own end.
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The former envoy, however, expressed fears that the final withdrawal of the trio could trigger more withdrawers from the Francophone countries, adding that they have strong cooperation among them.
He therefore urged ECOWAS to continue to restrategise to meet the yearnings of member states.
Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS meeting, Chairman of the regional bloc and President Tinubu urged leaders in West Africa to draw inspiration from Ghana's recent peaceful elections as a model of democratic maturity and commitment to national unity.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission commended Nigeria for paying 100 per cent of its community levy for 2023 and substantial remittances for 2024, reflecting Nigeria's leadership and commitment under President Tinubu.
"For the first time in 19 years, Nigeria has paid 100% of its community levy from 2023. I'm therefore pleased to announce that on Friday, December 13, 2024, Nigeria paid N85 billion and $54 million, representing 100% of the 2023 levy and the 2024 levy up to July 2024," he said.
