NIAMEY, Niger — The military junta leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso on Saturday ruled out returning their nations to the West African regional bloc, whose division could further jeopardize efforts to undo hits and stop the spread of violence throughout the region.
The leaders of the three countries announced that position during their first summit in Niamey, capital of Niger, after their withdrawal from the West African bloc known as ECOWAS in January.
They also accused the bloc of failing in its mandate and pledged to consolidate their own union: the Alliance of Sahel States – created last year amid fractured relationships with neighbors.
ECOWAS, founded almost 50 years ago, has become “a threat to our states,” said Niger’s military leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani.
“We are going to create an AES of the people, instead of an ECOWAS whose directives and instructions are dictated by powers outside Africa,” he stated.
The meeting of the three bordering countries came a day before an ECOWAS summit to be held by other heads of state from the region in Nigeria.
Analysts said the two meetings show the deep division in ECOWAS, which had become the highest political authority of its 15 member states before the unprecedented decision by the three countries. to withdraw your membership.
Despite ECOWAS’s efforts to hold its house together, the alliance between the three junta-led countries will most likely remain outside the regional bloc as tensions continue to rise, said Middle East analyst Karim Manuel. and Africa from The Economist Intelligence. Unit.
“In any case, mediation attempts, especially led by the new Senegalese administration, are likely to continue, but they will not be fruitful in the short term,” Manuel said.
Formed last September, the Alliance of Sahel States has been promoted by the three countries led by the junta as a tool to seek new partnerships with countries like Russia and consolidate their independence from former colonial ruler France, which they accuse of interfering with ECOWAS.
At the meeting in Niamey, Burkina Faso leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré reaffirmed those concerns and accused foreign countries of exploiting Africa.
“Westerners consider that we belong to them and that our wealth also belongs to them. They think they are the ones who should continue telling us what is good for our states. This era is gone forever; our resources will remain for us and our populations,” Traoré said.
“The attack on one of us will be an attack on all the other members,” said Malian leader Col. Assimi Goïta.
With Goïta elected as leader of the new alliance, the three leaders signed a pact to commit their countries to creating a regional parliament and bank similar to those operated by ECOWAS. They also committed to pooling their military resources to fight insecurity in their countries.
At a meeting of regional ministers on Thursday, Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, said he had not received “the right signals” about a possible return of the three states despite ECOWAS lifting sanctions related to the blow that The three nations blamed for their decision to leave the bloc..
It is not just the three countries that are angry with ECOWAS, observers say. The bloc has so lost the goodwill and support of West African citizens that some celebrated the recent wave of coups d’état in the region where citizens have complained about not benefiting from their countries’ rich natural resources.
For the most part, ECOWAS is seen as representing only the interests of its members’ leaders and not those of the masses, said Oge Onubogu, director of the Africa Program at the Washington-based think tank Wilson Center.
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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.
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