Use your Goodwill to Bring Mali, Burkina & Niger Back to ECOWAS

President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is hoping for a bring back to ECOWAS of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali who pulled out of the sub-regional bloc recently.

His optimism stems from the goodwill of Senegal’s new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, within the sub-region which he is confident of him capitalising on to convince the three former member states to rejoin the bloc.

Addressing the press after holding bilateral talks with President Faye at the Jubilee House Friday, May 17, 2024, as part of his state visit to Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said Senegal’s new President has demonstrated commitment to bring back ECOWAS efforts aimed at bringing the three countries back to the bloc and for negotiations to continue.

According to Akufo-Addo, Mr. Faye’s “election was a source of reassurance to all of us who are interested in the democratic future of our nation and our continent.”

He explained that the sub-regional block was “lucky in having a new leader in Senegal in place, because I think he’s also going to help us try and resolve the big problem that we have in the ECOWAS community, and that is the purported departure of three of the key figures, key nations in ECOWAS, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.”

“And President Faye is very committed to seeing what he, together with the rest of us, can do to reach out and begin to revive the dialogue that will enable us to extend the hand of friendship and brotherhood to these three countries and find a way to bring them back within the ECOWAS community. It’s a historically very important set of measures that have to be taken to enable that to happen,” President Akufo-Addo explained.

ALSO READ: Emergency Conference by ECOWAS in Accra about Burkina Faso coup.

The 44-year-old President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, was in Ghana for a day’s visit as part of a select tour of some African countries.

Earlier this year, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their exit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The junta-led countries had already been suspended from the bloc, which has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The three governments said it was a “sovereign decision” to withdraw from ECOWAS.

Their suspension followed the respective ousting of their presidents who had over-stayed their terms of office as enshrined in their constitution through a coup d’etat.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye welcomed the challenge to bring back ECOWAS and called for unity among ECOWAS states to fight poverty and insecurity in the sub-region.

About Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS

West African nations Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS, their respective juntas announced Sunday, January 28, 2024, accusing the bloc of “inhumane” sanctions to reverse the coups in their nations.

The juntas said in a joint statement read out on state television in all three countries that they have “decided in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” alleging that the bloc has “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism” after nearly 50 years of its establishment.

“Furthermore, 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,” their statements read.

It’s not immediately clear how that process of the countries’ withdrawal from the bloc would be carried out. ECOWAS didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press inquiry, though the bloc has said it only recognises democratic governments. The bloc’s regional court also ruled last year that juntas lack the power to act in place of elected governments on behalf of their nations.

Sunday’s announcement is the latest twist in a series of events that have deepened political tension in West Africa since it experienced its latest of a string of coups — in Niger — last year. It also comes as the three nations have formed a security alliance after severing military ties with France and other European nations and turning to Russia for support.

ALSO READ: Human Rights Reporters condemn brutalities, killings of protesters in Nigeria; calls on Prez. Buhari, ECOWAS, AU et al to act now-#EndSars

The joint statement accused ECOWAS of failing to assist those three countries in fighting “existential” threats like terrorism — the common reason cited by their militaries for deposing their democratically elected governments.

“When these States decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it (ECOWAS) adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture in imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its own texts,” the statement noted. Rather than improve their situations, the juntas said the ECOWAS sanctions have “further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence.”