West African leaders are giving the three Sahel countries led by military governments six months to reconsider their decision to quit the regional bloc Ecowas, as security issues and movements of populations cause concern among its 12 remaining members.
The extension will become official on 29 January, but the process is already under way.
From their summit last week in Abuja, the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) nations said in a statement: "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."
The six-month extension of the option for reintegration is the latest move in Ecowas' ongoing diplomatic efforts to maintain ties with the AES.
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'Irreversible' decision
The military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, united under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) reaffirmed their intention to leave Ecowas, describing their departure as "irreversible".
They claim that the organisation is a mere tool for France in West Africa, an accusation that reflects tensions between the three countries and their former colonial ruler.
The AES held its own ministerial-level meeting on Friday, 13 December in Niger's capital, Niamey, where their ministers reiterated the "irreversible decision to withdraw from Ecowas" and that they "are committed to pursuing a process of reflection on the means of exiting in the best interests of their peoples," according to a joint statement.
Tensions with Ecowas spiked after the bloc threatened military intervention and imposed heavy sanctions following the July 2023 coup in Niger, the region's sixth in three years.
Ecowas has since softened its position, although member states are divided over the best course of action to deal with the military governments.
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For Gilles Yabi, the founder of Dakar-based West African citizen think tank Wathi, the three Sahel regimes and the 12 remaining members of Ecowas "are heading more towards an amicable separation".
He told RFI that there is very little chance of getting the three AES leaders to change their minds, adding that it was regrettable that the populations of these countries had not been consulted.
Their unprecedented exit from Ecowas is unlikely to be simple. Agencies based in the three countries will have to move, Yabi added, as will civil servants. Trade relations and travel permissions will also change.
Security situation
The imminent departure of the Sahel states could also have a major impact on free trade and movement, as well as on security cooperation in the region - where jihadists tied to both al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State are gaining ground.
Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was appointed as a mediator with the breakaway states by the 12 remaining members of Ecowas in July. At last week's summit he said he was "making progress" in talks to maintain relations.
Ecowas on Sunday authorised Faye and Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe, also a mediator with the three states, to continue negotiations.
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Senegal 'making progress' convincing military regimes in Sahel to remain with Ecowas
The AES countries have pivoted towards Russia as their main ally, having severed ties with France.
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published three recent reports on atrocities committed by Islamist groups in the region, as well as by the Wagner Group's Russian militiamen.
HRW also denounced the lack of respect for human rights by the juntas. "A new Niger government ordinance creating a database of people suspected of terrorism undermines fundamental rights enshrined in national and international law," it said in September.
Niger has also expelled most Western journalists - notably, French reporters - and programming from RFI and the BBC was suspended earlier this month.
(with AFP)
