The West African leaders have assigned Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to persuade the military leaders of three nations not to withdraw from the regional economic bloc.
Faye was appointed as an envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the heads of the juntas in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso signed a treaty in Niamey, Niger’s capital, to form a confederation aimed at strengthening political and economic ties.
Military junta leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, on Saturday ruled out rejoining the West African regional bloc, a move that could further hinder efforts to reverse coups and contain the violence spreading across the region.
They accused ECOWAS of failing its mandate and pledged to consolidate their union – the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) created last year amid fractured relations with neighbours.
According to the Niger’s military leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani, the nearly 50-year-old ECOWAS has become “a threat to our states.”
“We are going to create an AES of the peoples, instead of an ECOWAS whose directives and instructions are dictated to it by powers that are foreign to Africa.”
“It’s up to us today to make the confederation alliance of Sahelian states an alternative to all bogus regional groupings, by building a sovereign community of people,” Tchiani said.
The tri-country meeting occurs a day ahead of an ECOWAS summit in Nigeria, where regional heads of state are scheduled to convene.
However, analysts point out that the two meetings show the profound divisions within ECOWAS, now recognised as the primary political authority among its 15 member states, particularly in light of the unprecedented decision by three countries to withdraw their membership.
Presidents Assimi Goita of Mali, Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, and Abdourahamane Tiani of Niger signed agreements covering non-aggression in security, as well as economic, monetary, and social domains.
Mali will assume the AES presidency for a year, with Burkina Faso hosting the organization’s parliamentary summit
