Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Withdraw from ECOWAS

The respective leaders of the three Sahelian states, "acknowledging their responsibilities in the face of history and responding to the expectations, concerns, and aspirations of their populations, sovereignly decide on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States," states the communiqué read on the state media of these countries.

The withdrawal poses a challenge to ECOWAS's regional integration efforts, casting uncertainty on the impact of this exit on the movement of goods and citizens within the bloc, where free movement is a fundamental principle. According to the bloc's treaty, member states intending to withdraw must provide a written one-year notice, during which they must continue to abide by treaty provisions.

Additionally, the three countries are members of the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA), comprising eight nations that use the West African CFA franc pegged to the euro.