Colonel Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for Niger’s junta, read from the statement in a televised address. ECOWAS, he said, had strayed from “the ideals of its founders” and failed to support the three countries, which have been ravaged by Islamist insurgencies, in their “existential struggle against terrorism and insecurity”.
Later on Sunday, ECOWAS, which was founded in 1975, said it had “yet to receive any immediate official notification” from the three countries about their intention to withdraw. In a statement, the bloc said it was working with all three nations “to restore constitutional order” and that it “remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse.”
None of the military juntas — who together formed a mutual defense pact in September — set a clear timetable for a democratic transition. But Sunday’s announcement marked an escalation of tensions that soared last year after a military coup in Niger – the last of three countries to lose their democratic governments.
The first among recent coups was in Mali, where rebel soldiers seized power in 2020 and again in 2021 when a military overthrew the original coup. Neighboring Burkina Faso followed a similar pattern, with two military coups in 2022.
The July coup in Niger – a key Western security partner – shocked many in the region and internationally and was met with sharp rebuke from ECOWAS, which imposed sanctions and later threatened to invade to restore the president-elect.
The statement on Sunday criticized ECOWAS for the sanctions, which the junta called “illegal, inhumane and irresponsible”. The trade restrictions, the statement said, “further weakened populations already affected by years of violence.”
It was not immediately clear how the withdrawal would affect ECOWAS or the three nations. Members of the bloc have historically enjoyed free movement of goods and people in the region.
As military officers seized power in each country, they cited rampant insecurity as the impetus for the coups. They blamed government leaders for failing to tackle the violence, which is largely driven by groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
They also all expelled French troops from their respective countries. France, a deeply unpopular former colonial power, had in recent years paired up with governments in the Sahel to help fight Islamist militants.
Instead, the juntas have turned to Russia and Russian mercenaries to help bolster security, even as violence has spiked in the region. In 2023, conflict deaths from political violence in all three countries increased by nearly 40 percent, according to the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Incident Data Project.
In a report this month, ACLED said high levels of violence are likely to persist into 2024 as military leaders seek to combat the militants’ “increasingly aggressive tactics.”