Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African nations led by military juntas, have announced visa-free travel and residency rights for citizens within the ECOWAS bloc, even as they prepare to formally exit the regional group in January 2025.
The leaders of the three nations described the move as a gesture of friendship, aimed at preserving longstanding cultural and historical ties between African peoples. Despite ongoing negotiations led by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, the juntas have reaffirmed their “irreversible” decision to leave ECOWAS.
Relations between ECOWAS and the three Sahel states have soured since military coups occurred in Mali (2020), Burkina Faso (2022), and Niger (2023). ECOWAS suspended their memberships and demanded a return to civilian rule, a call that has been rejected by the juntas, who accuse the bloc of being too aligned with Western powers.
The planned withdrawal, the first in ECOWAS history, will reduce the bloc’s population by 76 million and remove over half its total land area. The three nations have formed their own bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS), and indicated that ECOWAS citizens will retain rights to enter, reside, and work within their territories.
ECOWAS leaders, meeting in Nigeria, expressed disappointment but offered a six-month grace period for the states to reconsider. ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray called their exit “disheartening” and emphasized the importance of continued dialogue.
The Alliance of Sahel States has shifted its focus toward alliances with Russia to combat ongoing jihadist insurgencies, marking a significant geopolitical realignment in the region. Meanwhile, ECOWAS has tasked its commission in Abuja with developing a framework for future relations between the two blocs.
