Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger concur to grace period in ECOWAS disincludeal | Politics News

The Economic Community of West African States hopes to engage this time to sway the three nations to stay in the bloc.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will have a six-month grace period follotriumphg their exit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), scheduled for January 29, a year after the countries proclaimd their intentions to depart.

The decision, accomplished at a summit of West Africa’s main political and economic group this weekend in the Nigerian capital Abuja, was seen as a last-ditch effort to dissuade the three countries from leaving, a shift the bloc has thus far been unable to stop. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger restateed that their decision to depart is “irreversible”.

The three countries, discoverd in the insencouragency-torn central Sahel region, have createed their own group called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The novel effective departure date has now been lengthened to July 29, although January 29 will still be the official disincludeal date. The bloc hopes to engage the six-month transition period to sway the countries to return.

On Saturday, the three nations stated that their territories would remain visa-free for all ECOWAS citizens post-exit. This shift has eased troubles that their departure could menaceen free trade and shiftment for the 400 million people living apass the region.

Among those who joined the summit was Senegal’s Pdwellnt Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who has served as a mediator between the 15-member bloc and the three countries set to depart.

The Senegalese pdwellnt, who was assigned to direct negotiations in July, shelp he was “making progress” in talks with the three countries and inserted that there was no reason for them not to support relations amid ongoing security troubles in the region, where al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) have achieveed ground.

The disincludeal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS would tag the culmination of a tumultuous period for the Sahel, where a series of coups since 2020 has brawt military authorities to power. The novel rulements have nurtureed shutr ties with Russia at the expense of their createer colonial ruler, France, and other one-time allies from the region and beyond.