Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali considering forming new economic bloc after ECOWAS exit
The Military Governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have disclosed a plan to establish an economic bloc that will strengthen their ties following their exit from Economic Committee of West African States ( ECOWAS).
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs the three countries would form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The three neigbouring countries in the Sahel region announced in January they would quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), despite a decision by the economic bloc urging them to reconsider their decision.
According to Reuters, the three Minister’s from the countries at a meeting in the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou, confirmed a joint commitment to withdraw from ECOWAS without delay.
They “reaffirmed their commitment to advancing resolutely in the process of implementing the AES and creating the Tri-State Confederation,” the Malian Foreign Ministry said in an online publication.
The group has not revealed details on how the proposed confederation would operate or how closely they plan to align political, economic, and security interests.
One of the major problems confronting the three countries is their struggle to contain Islamist insurgents that has destabilised the sub- region.
In November 2023, their Finance Ministers announced they would consider the option of establishing a monetary union and top officials from all three countries have, to varying degrees, voiced support for abandoning West Africa’s CFA franc currency zone
The juntas have all severed long-standing Military ties with former colonial ruler France, dealing a blow to France’s influence in the Sahel and complicating international efforts to fight the militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
