World/Foreign News

Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso officially leave ECOWAS

On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) officially recognized the exit of three of its former members: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

The three countries’ departure became official after the end of their one-year notice period, which concluded on this day.

Despite their exit, ECOWAS has urged all member countries to continue recognizing the national passports of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger that display the ECOWAS logo until further notice. ECOWAS also asked its members to treat goods and services from these three nations in the same way as they had been, under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), and to respect the free movement rights of their citizens.

In a statement, the ECOWAS Authority explained that its doors remain open for further discussions and that it had set up a structure to discuss future cooperation with the three countries. “These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the three countries by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government,” the statement read.

ECOWAS emphasized that these steps are necessary to ensure a smooth transition and avoid disruption in the lives and businesses of people in the region.

Earlier, on Monday, January 28, 2025, people in Niger and Burkina Faso rallied in support of their countries’ withdrawal from ECOWAS, with the change officially taking effect on Wednesday, January 29.

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