The President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the President of the Transition of the Republic of Mali and Head of State, Colonel Assimi Goita, and the President of the Transition of the Republic of Niger and Head of State, Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, met on July 6 in Niamey for the first Summit of Heads of State of the member countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Their main resolution was to create a Confederation of AES States, thereby formalizing their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

This news sent shockwaves through West Africa and became the main topic of discussion at the ECOWAS Heads of State Summit held the following day. Indeed, during the 65th Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held on Sunday, July 7 in Abuja, Nigeria, the conference unusually began behind closed doors and opened two hours late. This ECOWAS summit, which followed the AES summit, had on its agenda not only the confirmation of the departure of the three countries—Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—from ECOWAS but especially their decision to create a confederation. ECOWAS, through its Commission President Omar Alieu Touray, warned that the consequences of the AES states’ decision would be disastrous for their citizens.

“This withdrawal will affect the travel and immigration conditions of the citizens of these three countries. The withdrawal of the three member states could lead to the halt or suspension of all projects and programs valued at over 500 million US dollars,” Omar Alieu Touray cautioned. According to the ECOWAS Commission President, the organization would face disintegration if the withdrawal is finalized. This move could impact cooperation on security matters, particularly intelligence sharing. Omar Alieu Touray also warned that the freedom of movement and residence for people could be threatened and did not rule out the introduction of visas for AES country citizens to travel within the ECOWAS area.

West Africa is therefore at a critical turning point in its history, calling for courageous decisions aimed at preserving what remains of the hard-won achievements of its long journey toward establishing a regional political community.