Politics Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger leave Ecowas confederation
The Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are leaving the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) after 50 years. The withdrawal, which the three states decided a year ago, is now in force despite several attempts at mediation.
29.01.2025, 04:10
SDA
Around 73 million people are thus leaving the single market with free movement and political cooperation between 15 states. The relationship has been severely strained since military coups in Mali in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023, followed by tough Ecowas sanctions.
As a result, Ecowas has shrunk by more than half of its area, although only around one sixth of the total population of around 440 million lives there and contributes around one twelfth of the joint economic output.
Despite enormous natural resources such as gold and uranium, which are largely mined by European and North American companies, the three countries are among the ten least developed states in the world. Millennia-old trade routes run through the region, which are used to smuggle people and drugs to Europe, among other things.
Juntas see Ecowas as an instrument of the ex-colonial powers
The Ecowas heads of state and government did grant a further six months transitional period. However, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger ruled out a U-turn. There, Ecowas is accused of being an extension of the former colonial power France and of representing demands such as democratic elections, primarily for European interests.
"The divorce is final," says Ulf Laessing, the Sahel Program Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation based in Mali's capital Bamako. "Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso need the new alliance to present themselves as an anti-Western bloc. Uncertain times are now dawning for millions of guest workers from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in the richer Ecowas coastal states."
Moscow is the main beneficiary of the new alliance
The three military juntas founded the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in 2023, within the framework of which they want to pursue a common security and foreign policy, create their own investment bank and a large number of joint infrastructure projects. The most important new partner is Russia, with which they have concluded agreements on cooperation in areas such as the military, agriculture and education.
The battle between government forces and Islamist terrorist militias has cost tens of thousands of lives in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso since 2022 alone. It is now unclear how the states will continue to cooperate with neighboring countries that are threatened by a spillover of violence.
Economic problems are also looming, especially in the often densely populated border regions. In the medium term, customs duties and visa restrictions could be reintroduced. The three states are also dependent on the ports of their Ecowas neighbors.
