The decision by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to withdraw from the regional bloc, ECOWAS, has created two sides. While one side believes and stands firmly with the military juntas of these countries, others including ECOWAS itself, the African Union, some political experts, and the International community did not only condemn the move but also believe that it would have serious repercussions for Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. However, Ibrahim Traore through his prime minister recently revealed plans to ensure that the effect of the country’s exit from the bloc is mitigated. What are these plans and how effective will they be in the long run? Let’s find out in this video. But, before we do that let’s first examine the effect of the withdrawal from ECOWAS on Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

In a significant development, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formerly announced that they are withdrawing from the West African bloc with immediate effect. In the joint press statement released by the junta-led countries, the countries stated “ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure”

To break the camel’s back, the trio, following in the footsteps of Ghana’s foremost president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who demanded independence now, has declared their resolve to defy Article 91 of the bloc’s Treaty, which stipulates that member countries remain bound by their obligations to the regional bloc for one year after notifying their withdrawal. This means they are leaving immediately. In a letter addressed to the ECOWAS on February 7 by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Malian government, stated “the government of the Republic of Mali is no longer bound by the time constraints mentioned in article 91 of the treaty. The letter further noted that the ministry has decided to “withdraw, without delay” due to ECOWAS’ desecration of its own texts – citing when the organization failed to meet its obligations by closing member states’ borders with Mali in 2022, denying it access to the sea. Now, according to political experts, this decision will have a significant impact not only on ECOWAS but also on the three countries.

For ECOWAS, the main impact will be on trade and economic development. Ecowas is primarily an economic community and so, the loss of any member will affect trade and economic development. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso combined account for 8% of the US$761 billion Ecowas gross domestic product annually. The concern therefore is that the exit of the three countries could affect the flow of goods and services in the bloc. In addition, experts fear that leaving the bloc could lead to the economic collapse of the three countries that have strategic importance in the region in terms of food security. Niger, for instance, is a key source of onions while Burkina Faso exports tomatoes to the sub-region. If this happens, it could lead to mass migration of citizens from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to other ECOWAS countries, further threatening the stability of the West African region. There are also concerns that the three countries would enter into bilateral relationships with countries that might not be favourable to other Ecowas countries. For example, there are already concerns about Niger’s alliance with Russia after it severed ties with France.

For Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the major impact of their decision to withdraw from the bloc will be on the movement of people, goods and services. Under Ecowas, members enjoy unrestricted movement of citizens within the bloc. Citizens of Ecowas countries can live and work in any country in the bloc. For instance, there are more than 5 million citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger living and working in Côte d’Ivoire alone. Ghana, Togo, and the Republic of Benin also host large numbers of Nigeriens. However, with the decision to withdraw, it’s possible that the citizens of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso no longer be able to travel to other Ecowas states without impediments. Niger also shares a border of over 1,600km with seven states in Nigeria and 80% of its trade is done with Nigeria. Already the sanctions imposed on Niger by Ecowas are affecting citizens of the country and so hardship is likely to increase after the exit if Nigeria decides to start policing its borders. Also, depending on how Ecowas agrees to relate to the countries in future, there could be restrictions on goods and services which would further affect the economies of these countries.

Now, speaking through his Prime Minister, Ibrahim Traore highlighted that plans are currently being made to mitigate the fear and concerns about Burkina Faso exit from the bloc. The Prime Minister started by saying that Burkina Faso’s decision to withdraw from the ECOWAS is driven by a desire to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and security. He said that since the disappearance of the Libyan Muhammad GFI in 2011, Mali and Niger were immediately confronted by terrorists which led to the savage killings of dozens of Malians and Nigerien soldiers. Citizens were also slaughtered and sometimes forced to choose between conscription and forced enlistment. Crops and harvests perished and the economy of Mali and Niger fractured. Yet, according to the Prime Minister, throughout all this time, neither the African Union nor the regional bloc, ECOWAS, was helpful. He noted that the countries of the West with the tears of a crocodile sent forces in a so-called peace mission to deal with the insecurity but the reality was that those forces only came to create a barrier protection for the terrorists. It’s why the situation worsened even after these foreign forces with their superior technique and equipment came to supposedly help.

The Prime Minister further added that the terrorists grew so strong during this period that they decided to spread their wings by venturing into Burkina Faso’s territory under the complicit eyes of the African Union and the ECOWAS. After several years of suffering, the citizens of Mali began to demand accountability from the so-called democratically elected leaders, leading to demonstrations and protests all around the country. It was at this point that Colonel Assimi Goita decided to overthrow the civilian government and take over the helms of the government to control the situation. The Prime Minister stated that this scenario was the same that happened in Burkina Faso and Niger. The military in these countries found it necessary to take over from the civilian government because the situation was getting worse in their hands.

Speaking on the incompetence of ECOWAS, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso stated that “while our fellow citizens were killed horribly, neither the ECOWAS nor the African Union shed tears or showed compassion. He explained that he personally received delegates from the African Union and ECOWAS concerning the situation and when they arrived their only concern was to know first “the date when the military would hand over power and conduct elections and second, to meet with political parties which according to the Prime Minister are responsible for the situation. These delegates didn’t show any concern about the population who have been suffering from terrorism and neither did they propose any plans to fight terrorism. Hence, the Prime Minister added that he concluded that he would never meet with any delegate from the African Union and ECOWAS.

Moving on to talk about concerns raised about the withdrawal of Burkina Faso from the bloc, the Prime Minister outlined a comprehensive approach to regional security in response to the fear that withdrawal from the bloc would lead to regional insecurity. The Prime Minister highlighted that Burkina Faso would enter into new security partnerships by negotiating bilateral agreements with neighboring countries in order to form a stance against shared security threats. Burkina Faso will also strengthen its internal security by investing in military intelligence and technology to better enable it to fight terrorism.
Recall that some experts believe that the withdrawal of the three countries from the bloc is a setback for regional integration, however, the Prime Minister noted that Burkina Faso is still committed to regional integration despite withdrawing from the bloc. He emphasized that there are other alternative avenues for collaboration citing the African Continental Free Trade Area. So, this means that even if Burkina Faso cannot collaborate with individual ECOWAS countries under the ECOWAS bloc, it should be able to do so under the ACFTA. This means rather than a complete disengagement from regional affairs, Burkina Faso will begin to explore partnerships beyond the constraint of the regional bloc that aligns with its interests.

Addressing the potential impact on businesses and the economy, the Prime Minister stated that the government has a comprehensive plan to mitigate the adverse effect of the withdrawal. He highlighted that the plan would open doors which would stimulate domestic industries and therefore create employment opportunities and by extension economic growth. The military government plans to implement reforms that will enhance the overall well-being of its citizens by supporting businesses during the transition to ensure smooth adaptation of the changing economic landscape. In addition, Burkina Faso intends to build collaboration and partnership with Individual ECOWAS member states. This plan shows that the military juntas of the three countries know what they are doing and the decision to withdraw from ECOWAS has been carefully planned. So, despite the challenges that may occur at first, there is hope that things will vastly improve in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in the long run.

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