Rift in West Africa

The ECOWAS summit took place in a context where the region witnessed many profound changes, especially after the coups that brought military governments to power...

The 66th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit took place in the Nigerian capital Abuja on December 15.

The 66th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit took place in the Nigerian capital Abuja on December 15 under the chairmanship of the host country's President, Chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Heads of State and Government , Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The conference was attended by Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh and leaders of 13 regional countries, but was absent from representatives of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Established in 1975, ECOWAS now has 15 members, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Since then, ECOWAS has become the region's leading political body.

Notably, this Conference takes place in the context of the resource-rich region witnessing many profound changes, especially after the coups that brought military governments to power in Mali (August 18, 2020 and May 24, 2021), Burkina Faso (January 24 and September 30, 2022) and Niger (July 26, 2023). After those coups, the relationship between these three Sahel countries and the members of ECOWAS began to seriously crack.

Ahead of the conference, the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced that they would not attend the conference and said that the process of withdrawing from ECOWAS and forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) would continue. The three countries said that they had been subjected to a series of sanctions while receiving no support in addressing security challenges, especially when al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) forces were increasingly expanding their activities in the region.

Meanwhile, in his opening speech at the Conference, ECOWAS President Bola Ahmed Tinubu affirmed: “Over the years, ECOWAS has achieved important milestones in enhancing regional integration, facilitating the free movement of people, goods and services, and supporting governance and conflict resolution.”

Mr. Bola Tinubu stressed that global and regional challenges are testing the spirit of cooperation of ECOWAS. Freedom of movement and a common market of 400 million people are among the bloc's main benefits, but these benefits would be threatened if Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left.

According to the ECOWAS document, the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will take effect one year after the announcement, that is, in January 2025. After that, there will be a six-month transition period, during which ECOWAS will remain open for the three countries to participate in normal activities. In return, the three seceding countries also issued a declaration allowing the bloc's citizens to access the territory without a visa, except for those who are not allowed to enter.

The withdrawal of three countries from the community is a serious division and challenge for ECOWAS, according to Babacar Ndiaye, a senior fellow at the Timbuktu Peace Research Institute in Senegal.

Meanwhile, Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at UK-based global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, said that the military regimes’ continued hold on power could “lead to further fragmentation of the region.” He stressed that the secession of the three countries would not only impede the freedom of movement and settlement of people, but also exacerbate regional instability, dealing a heavy blow to security cooperation, especially in intelligence sharing and the fight against terrorism.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ran-nut-o-tay-phi-297946.html