ECOWAS criticizes the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger
A statement issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) criticized the decision of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to withdraw from the group.
The statement stated that the ECOWAS Commission hasn’t yet received official direct notification from the three member states regarding their intention to withdraw from the group.
He explained that the ECOWAS Commission is working intensively with these countries to restore constitutional order, in accordance with the directives of state and government leaders.
He pointed out that Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali remain important members of the Economic Community of West African States.
The statement stressed that ECOWAS is closely following developments and will make more statements in parallel as the situation develops.
The three Sahel countries, led by military juntas and interim transitional governments, announced that they would withdraw from the 15-member ECOWAS “as soon as possible”.
The statement added in a joint statement on Sunday that ECOWAS, which is accused of “subjecting to the influence of foreign powers” and “betraying its principles,” poses a threat to the three countries.
The statement explained that ECOWAS didn’t assist the three countries in their war against terrorism.
“When the countries concerned wanted to take steps to combat terrorism, they were subjected to unimaginable and illegal sanctions”.
It’s noteworthy that, on September 17, the three countries signed the “Liptako-Gourma Charter,” establishing the alliance of the three Sahel countries, which aims to establish “a structure for joint defense and mutual economic assistance”.
This alliance stipulates that an attack on one of the signatory states will be considered an attack on all other states, and all parties can respond individually or collectively, including the use of armed force.
