The West African regional bloc has called on Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to reconsider their recent decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray on Thursday suggested that the bloc should remain more united than ever. He said:
If there is a time for ECOWAS to stay together, this is the time. There is no challenge that ECOWAS cannot overcome.
Touray believes that the reasons for the withdrawal of the three countries had no real basis. He said in a statement:
The hasty decision of withdrawal of membership of ECOWAS did not take into account the conditions for withdrawal of membership from ECOWAS, as espoused in the 1993 ECOWAS Revised Treaty. More importantly, the three Member States have not really reflected on the implications of this decision on the citizens.
On 28 January, the three West African military administrations announced in a joint statement their withdrawal from ECOWAS “with immediate effect”, followed by separate official notifications from the bloc on 29 January, the bloc said.
ECOWAS foreign ministers held a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the regional bloc.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has said the decisions of the three member states have provoked serious concerns in the region and beyond.
He believes that in finding solutions, the bloc must remain committed to the principles of democratic governance and guarantee the right of ECOWAS citizens to elect freely their leaders. Tuggar noted:
It goes without saying that we are stronger together as a community. We project not just our common values and a more attractive market. We also can deal more effectively with those shared challenges that go beyond national borders: climate change, violent extremism, migration and organized crime.
