The Juten -led countries Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso officially left the West African main political and trade group Ecowas on Wednesday after more than a year of diplomatic tension.
The return has shook the economic community of the West African states that many people consider the most important regional group of the continent and symbolize their 50th anniversary this year.
Its leadership said in a statement that the group would “keep the Ecowas doors open” to the three countries but their departure has given up uncertainty to the future of the organization.
It was broken by the July 2023 coup in Burkina and Mali, when the military leaders seized power from 2020.
Ecowas threatened to intervene military in Niger to restore the disorganized President and impose heavy economic sanctions on Niamey, which has now been removed.
Three countries, which were the founding members of Ecowas, announced in January 2024 that they planned to be withdrawn immediately but required a one -year notice to be effective of the organization’s rules.
His military rulers accused Ecowas of implementing “inhuman, illegal and illegitimate” sanctions.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have now formed their own Confederation, The Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Ecowas’s statement called upon the member countries to recognize “until the next notice”, which is the passports of three countries tolerating the Ecowas logo.
It states that citizens of the three countries should enjoy visa -free movement, residence and right to installation according to the ECOVAS protocol “until a new decision”.
The three will also be treated with the Ecowas rules from the three until the West African group decides their “future engagement” with the three, he said.
Military leaders in Sahel states accused their countries of helping fighting jihadi rebellions and failing to help the former colonial power to be very close to France in the region.
The three have cut their safety relations with France on a large scale and moved to Russia, Iran and Turkey to assist.
In the indication of doubt within the ecowas, Togo and Ghana have normalized their relations with three states and the new President of Ghana, John Mahama, has named a special messenger for Sahel’s alliance.
