Wetin withdrawal from Ecowas go mean for Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger?

Di Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) go formally stop di membership of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from di organisation on January 29, 2025.

Dis na part of di decision wey dem reach for di 66th Ordinary Session of di Ecowas Authority of Heads of State and Government, wey happun for Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Nigeria on Sunday.

Na Omar Touray wey be di President of di Ecowas Commission read out di announcement.

Touray say dem bin don take note of di notification by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic of di decision to withdraw from Ecowas.

"Di authority gree say in accordance wit di provisions of Article 91 of di Revised Ecowas Treaty, di three kontris go officially cease to be members of Ecowas from January 29, 2025," e tok.

E add say Ecowas go give six months period between January 29 to June 29, 2025 as a transitional period and Ecowas go keep dia door open for di three kontris during dis period.

Also, di President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and di one of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, go kontinu to dey negotiate wit di three kontris until wen di transition period go expire.

On January 28 dis year, di three nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger bin issue one joint statement wia dem tok say dem don comot from Ecowas.

Dia reason be say di way wey Ecowas dey now, no be wetin di founding fathers bin want wen dem create am.

Remember say di three kontris dey under military rule afta dia armies pursue dia democratically elected presidents comot for office.

Article 91 of di Ecowas Treaty tok say any nation wey wan comot go give di organisation notice and dia withdrawal no go dey effective until afta one year.

January 29, 2025 go make am one year since di three kontris give dia notice of withdrawal, and wetin pipo dey ask now na wetin dis development go mean both for di three kontris and for di Ecowas community.

Formation of di Alliance of Sahel States

Already, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic don join body to form wetin dem call di Alliance of Sahel States.

Di idea for dis new association start wen di Ecowas Authority of Heads of State and Government - wey Nigeria President Bola Tinubu be di Chairman - bin threaten to use military force to comot di military junta wey take ova power from Niger Republic in 2023.

So di three kontris come togeda to dey ready to resist any such attempt. Na afta dat dem officially announce di new alliance.

However, even though di three kontris don redesign dia passport and comot di Ecowas logo, recently, dem announce visa-free travel and residency rights to citizens of Ecowas kontris.

Dem say di decision na in di spirit of friendship, and to strengthen centuries-old ties among African people.

Dis particular travel matter bin follow for wetin political sabi pipo bin dey worried say travel restrictions go further weaken regional integration, worsen di ease of doing business, and slow economic development.

However, di three kontris go lose di duty-free trade benefits among member states wey Ecowas members dey enjoy.

Chibuzor Okereke, a political researcher and analyst wey tok wit BBC Pidgin say even though di three kontris don form di Alliance of Sahel States, e no prevent dem from still being members of Ecowas.

"E dey understandable say dem go dey ask wetin special dem don benefit from Ecowas, or wetin dem don lack in di last one year since dem comot, but make dem also check weda e get any special tin wey dem don gain in di last one year," oga Okereke tok.

"Di core of di Alliance of Sahel States na about economicc and political freedom from di French goment, no be much about wetin any of dia neighbours do dem. So e no stop dem from remaining in Ecowas bicos e get plenty Ecowas nations wey no get allegiance to France.

"But as only di three of dem go join body togeda, e go affect dia function wit di oda Ecowas members and e go kind of isolate dem."

Okereke, however point out say Ecowas as a body suppose get oda beta incentives wey go make pipo want to remain in di group, no be to dey only intervene wen coups happen.

"Coup d'etats no be sudden event, na series of things dey build up before a kontri military go disrupt di democratic process of dat kontri. So na dia Ecowas suppose chook eye to dey prevent dose situations wey dey give rise to military intervention for goment.

Dis no be di first time a kontri go decide to withdraw from Ecowas. In 1999, Mauritania pulled out of di regional body and dia withdrawal bin become effective in 2000 afta di one-year notice.

Di kontri no give any official reason dat time why dem comot, but sabi pipo tok say dem dey unhappy say dem no dey happy as Ecowas be like say e don bicom more of a monetary and customs union.

Dat na wen Ecowas bin dey plan to introduce a single currency by 2004, and Mauritania bin no support di move.

However, in 2017, Mauritania come back to become associate Ecowas member.