The states of , and have officially withdrawn from regional economic bloc in the wake of , the multination body said on Wednesday.
The withdrawal “has become effective today,” ECOWAS said in a statement.
All three nations, which in September created their own security partnership, the Alliance of Sahel States, are now led by juntas following coups in the past few years.
Growing tensions
Among other things, the three countries have accused the bloc of being too much under the influence of former colonial power France.
ECOWAS has also been forthright in its criticism of the coups and has because of them.
In recent years, the three countries have looked to Moscow or Russia’s Africa Corps — which has replaced the — for support, with Russian mercenaries helping the military regimes remain in control.
The withdrawal means that some 73 million people are leaving the community and that its geographical area is more than halved.
The bloc has said, however, that it has decided to “keep ECOWAS’ doors open,” requesting member nations to continue to accord the three countries membership privileges such as free movement within the region with an ECOWAS passport.
The comes amid that the bloc is failing to properly represent their interests and to take advantage of rich natural resources in their countries.
What is ECOWAS?
The Economic Community of West African States, consisting of 15 nations, was founded 50 years ago with the stated aim of promoting “cooperation and integration … in order to raise the living standards of it peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic stability.”
It has since evolved into a top political authority in the region and has often stepped in to help its member states deal with political, economical and security challenges.
Although the departure of the three countries greatly diminishes the bloc’s area, the member states’ combined economic output will be reduced by just 8%, as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are among the 10 least developed countries in the world.
Although they possess enormous natural resources, such as gold and uranium, these are mostly mined by European and North American companies.
In addition, all three are facing problems posed by Islamist terrorist groups within their borders.
tj/rc (dpa, AP)
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