Crowds rally in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to cheer ECOWAS official exit: Video
Thousands of people rallied in junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to back their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, taking effect on Jan.29.
The departure of these three founding members from the bloc has fractured the region and is leaving the ECOWAS grouping with an uncertain future.
The three countries have teamed up to form a separate confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
They had formally notified ECOWAS of their plan for an "immediate" withdrawal in January 2024, alleging the organisation's excessive dependence on France in particular. Paris has become the common enemy of the three juntas, which now favour partnerships with countries such as Russia, Turkey and Iran.
In Niger, thousands of people led by members of the military regime gathered around a square in the capital Niamey on Jan. 28 before heading towards the nearby National Assembly.
They chanted slogans hostile to French President Emmanuel Macron as well as other leaders in the region with whom Niger has strained relations, such as Benin, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
"On January 28, 2024, we announced our exit from ECOWAS with immediate effect. Many thought it was a joke, that we were going to go back on our decision," AFP quoted Ibro Amadou Bacharou, private chief of staff of Niger's junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani. "This is ending today, there is nothing left between ECOWAS and us," he said.
