The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced that the formal process for Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to withdraw from the regional bloc will begin on January 29, 2025.
This follows the expiration of the one-year statutory period since the three countries first notified ECOWAS of their intention to leave.
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ECOWAS President, Dr. Omar Touray, made the announcement at the conclusion of the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. He revealed that the transition period for the three nations will last six months, ending on July 29, 2025, during which the withdrawal protocol will be followed.
“ECOWAS acknowledges the notification from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger of their decision to withdraw. As per the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, these countries will officially cease to be members on January 29, 2025,” said Touray. “The transition period will run until July 29, 2025, and ECOWAS will keep its doors open to them during this time.”
The countries had initially filed for withdrawal following a series of military takeovers, including in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023. These actions resulted in their suspension from ECOWAS and strained relations with the bloc, which imposed sanctions in response to the coups.
Touray added that ECOWAS would continue mediation efforts, with the mandates of Senegalese President Bassirou Faye and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé extended until the end of the transition period. Both leaders have been working to facilitate a return to the bloc by the three countries.
“The authority has extended the mandates of President Gnassingbé and President Faye to continue their mediation role throughout the transition period,” Touray said.
In accordance with the bloc’s guidelines, after January 29, 2025, ECOWAS will begin the formal withdrawal process and implement a contingency plan addressing political, economic, and sectoral relations with the three countries. An extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers is expected in the second quarter of 2025 to discuss the withdrawal framework and plan.
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, who chairs the ECOWAS Authority, expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the bloc’s leaders. He urged member states to remain united and committed to ECOWAS’s founding principles. “Let us remain united in our determination and steadfast in our commitment to the principles that bind us together as a community,” he said.
The withdrawal comes after the three countries, in early 2024, accused ECOWAS of abandoning its founding ideals, citing its sanctions in response to the military takeovers. They have since formed the Alliance of Sahel States, a new bloc prioritizing defense and mutual support, and have distanced themselves from traditional Western allies, particularly France, in favor of closer ties with Russia.
In a related development, Burkina Faso has introduced a new biometric passport that does not feature the ECOWAS emblem, marking further steps toward its withdrawal from the regional bloc.
As of December 2024, ECOWAS continues to include member states such as Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo, among others, while the three withdrawing countries move toward redefining their regional alliances.
