ECOWAS is calling on Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to rethink their decision to leave the bloc and has left the door open for their return by July 29, 2025.
The three countries, which formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) earlier this year, can rejoin ECOWAS without fresh negotiations if they reverse their withdrawal by the deadline.
Speaking at a High-Level Policy Dialogue in Accra, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah, emphasized the need to preserve regional ties, revealing that citizens of the AES nations are still permitted free movement across ECOWAS borders.
He added that collaboration on security and humanitarian issues remains vital.
The two-day conference, organized by WANEP in partnership with the SSRC and CORN West Africa, brought together regional and international stakeholders to examine the evolving geopolitical climate in West Africa and ECOWAS’s role in navigating conflict and integration challenges.
Dr Musah, in a keynote titled “Reflections on the State of Affairs in West Africa,” disclosed that Presidents Diomaye Faye of Senegal and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo have been tasked with initiating dialogue with the AES leaders to encourage reconciliation.
He linked the region’s instability to governance and development shortfalls, while WANEP Executive Director Levinia Addae-Mensah underscored the dangers of fragmentation, extremism, and democratic erosion.
“The recent exit of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a profound indicator of the deep fractures we must confront with courage, candour and commitment,” she said.
Addae-Mensah called for fresh, inclusive strategies that reimagine the roles of both civil society and regional bodies in building a more resilient West Africa.
