Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso withdraw from West Africa regional bloc ECOWAS as tensions deepen

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Three West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have quit the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS. Their respective juntas said in a joint statement on Sunday that he bloc has imposed “inhumane” sanctions to reverse the coups in their nations and has also “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and Pan-Africanism” after nearly 50 years of its establishment. They also alleged the bloc is “under the influence of foreign powers.” ECOWAS said it has not been notified about the countries’ decision. ECOWAS is widely seen as West Africa’s top political and regional authority. But the 15-nation bloc has struggled in recent years to reverse rampant coups in the region.