The Council of Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is convening an extraordinary session in Accra to deliberate on the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc.
The meeting, which underscores a pivotal moment in ECOWAS’s history, was convened following a directive from the Authority of Heads of State and Government during its 66th Ordinary Session. The Council has been tasked with adopting modalities and contingency plans for the disengagement of the three Sahelian nations.
Chairman of the Council and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, made this known through a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir. He noted that the ECOWAS Commission will present memoranda addressing various aspects of the withdrawal process, including the suspension of ongoing programmes and implications for the free movement of people, goods, and services.
The Council will also examine the potential relocation of ECOWAS institutions and agencies currently based in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to mitigate operational disruptions following their exit.
Ambassador Tuggar described the session as a difficult juncture for the community. “It was never ECOWAS’s wish to deliberate on the withdrawal of member states,” he stated, while acknowledging the sovereignty of the countries under their current military governments.
He called on fellow ministers to embrace institutional renewal and recommit to regional integration, highlighting ECOWAS’s status as Africa’s most integrated regional bloc with a shared vision for political, economic, and security cooperation.
Deliberations are expected to continue over the coming days as ECOWAS charts a path forward amidst the growing political challenges in the Sahel region.
