Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have introduced visa-free travel and residency rights for citizens of the 15-member ECOWAS bloc to strengthen the centuries-old ties among African people.
Despite being low-income and landlocked, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger’s new visa-free policy aims to foster stronger regional ties, although it is likely that most migrants will continue to move to the wealthier, coastal nations in West Africa.
This decision follows the announcement of their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS in January 2023, accusing the bloc of imposing “inhumane and irresponsible” sanctions, following military coups while failing to address internal security issues.
These strained relations followed military coups in Niger in July, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Mali in 2020.
ECOWAS had demanded a return to democratic governance, which the military-led governments resisted. The one-year notice period for their departure is set to conclude in January 2025.
The coup was condemned by ECOWAS which suspended the countries’ memberships, hoping for a return to civilian rule. However, the coup leaders maintained their stance and are increasingly pivoting towards Russia for support against regional insurgencies.
During a meeting in Nigeria, ECOWAS leaders respected the decision of the Sahel countries to leave the bloc, offering a transitional period from January 29 to July 29, 2025.
Within this period, the three nations have the option to rejoin ECOWAS. Negotiations, led by Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s President and Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé, will continue to explore this possibility.
Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, emphasised that the transitional period allows for a potential re-admittance of the three nations. The move has been described as a gesture of “friendship” and an effort to “strengthen centuries-old ties between the people of Africa.”
The departure of these founding members of ECOWAS, established in 1975 to enhance economic and political integration in West Africa, represents a significant setback. ECOWAS citizens currently enjoy the right to live and work in any member state, with goods circulating freely across borders.
ECOWAS has not yet decided whether to impose restrictions on people and goods from the departing states, which have formed a new alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The ECOWAS Commission in Abuja is now tasked with addressing these issues and determining future collaboration between the two blocs.
An irreversible decision
The military juntas of the three countries have remained resolute, despite efforts to persuade them to stay in ECOWAS. Following a ministerial meeting in Niamey, Niger’s capital, the three states declared their decision to withdraw as “irreversible.”
Their exit would significantly impact regional unity and efforts to enhance economic and security cooperation. Omar Touray, ECOWAS commission head described their impending departure as “disheartening” but commended the ongoing mediation efforts.
Implications of the departure
The departure of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger means ECOWAS will lose 76 million of its 446 million people and more than half its total geographical land area.
In a statement, Assimi Goïta, AES chairman and Mali’s military ruler confirmed that ECOWAS citizens’ rights to “enter, circulate, reside, establish and leave the territory” of the new bloc would be maintained, signalling a desire for amicable relations despite their withdrawal.
However, the coup leaders have remained defiant, pivoting towards Russia for support against insurgents in the region, accusing ECOWAS of aligning too closely with Western powers.
The departure of these nations poses a significant challenge to ECOWAS’s unity and highlights the complex geopolitical dynamics at play in West Africa.
