Who would have thought that when the proposal to form the Alliance of the Sahel State was first launched in February, ECOWAS kicked against the idea and expressed its dissatisfaction with the initiative? Well, it shouldn’t be too surprising because many experts see the alliance which was finally established on September 16th between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso as the beginning of the end of ECOWAS. In an exclusive interview with Sputnik Africa, the leader of the alliance and the youngest president in the world, Captain Ibrahim Traore lambasted ECOWAS regarding their attitude and response towards the Alliance. He emphasized that the attitude of ECOWAS towards the Alliance doesn’t show unity among Africans which is something Africa desperately needs to advance.
In his own words “”Africa must manage to unite, the more we are united, the more effective we are,”. He then added that “This initiative was not appreciated by ECOWAS, which sanctions Burkina, and whose treatment of Burkina Faso’s problems is, according to Traore, “with variable geometry”. Traore went further to say that Burkina Faso and Mali are already weighing many elements, especially in the economic field, and the defense agreement between the two countries has already been sealed. “We do everything together, we train together, we fight together,”, he said.
Traore went further to question the bloc’s ability to offer support to their soldiers fighting against terrorism. This attitude he called. “the double standard of ECOWAS. He stated that “Has ECOWAS ever given a thumbs up to send a cartridge to our soldiers to fight? Did they send troops to fight terrorism? Nothing. But if it is to sanction, yes, indeed, they sanction. A double standard which is shocking in fact. Deeming this position “shameful”, Ibrahim Traore does not doubt that Burkina Faso will continue “to move forward with dignity and with full responsibility”.
Looking ahead, Traore envisions the possibility of other nations joining the federation, with Guinea being a potential candidate. The joint declaration made by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea in February reflects their united stance against systemic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS and the African Union.
The Alliance of the Sahel State could very well be the end of ECOWAS at least according to the Defense Minister of Mali, Fousseynou Ouattara. “It could lead to the disintegration of ECOWAS,” Ouattara said, adding that “ECOWAS has failed in its fundamentals. He recalled that the formation of this new alliance occurred against the backdrop of rising tensions between its founding members on the one hand and ECOWAS on the other, as well as deteriorating relations between the three countries and France, a former colonial power.
Following the July military coup in Niger, ECOWAS suspended all cooperation with the country and threatened a military intervention if the military did not reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. He stressed that the regional organization would not threaten a military response to the coup without “orders” from the former colonial state – France. “Without Macron, I don’t think the idea of attacking Niger would have even arisen,” he said.
Commenting on the Liptako-Gourma Charter that established the bloc, Ouattara noted that this type of alliance had been called for for a long time. He explained that the three countries share the Liptako-Gourma region in the Central Sahel. According to him, this region is an area coveted by France and several Western countries because of the riches buried in its soil. So it is a zone of destabilization for the three countries, and by joining hands we can not only restore security and put an end to terrorism, but also accelerate joint development efforts,”
Ouattara went further to emphasize that the creation of the alliance is a call to all West African countries “to pull themselves together. “It’s a way of telling everyone to come and meet with the three countries so that we can create a new union that will be free and no longer under the supervision of anyone, ” he said. It’s the same words echoed by Ibrahim Traore when he said “We are ready to fight but Africa must manage to unite because the more united we are, the more effective we are.
It is pertinent that instead of ECOWAS remaining a puppet of the West, they should move away from selfish interests and work together with this alliance which would show a united front before Western countries. Imagine the possibilities if all the member countries in ECOWAS were to join the alliance and pool their resources together. It would be the beginning of something great in Africa.
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