Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Exit Created Major ECOWAS Crisis, Tinubu’s Aide Says

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has said the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States created a major regional crisis.

Dare made the statement on Thursday at a policy colloquium organised by the Ministry of Defence in Abuja.

According to him, the departure of the three Sahel countries from ECOWAS weakened key regional integration mechanisms, particularly protocols supporting the free movement of goods and services among member states.

“The rupture that came in 2025 when the countries pulled out of ECOWAS created a major regional crisis. That pullout from ECOWAS simply blunted the ECOWAS protocol that promoted integration, free movement of goods and services.”

Dare said the development also contributed to the emergence of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional bloc formed by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

“It eventually led to the creation of AES, another counter-regional body to ECOWAS. But it also challenged the other instruments and protocols that we have for regional cooperation.”

The three military-led countries formally withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025, following their earlier announcement in 2024 that they intended to leave the regional bloc.

Their governments had cited concerns over ECOWAS’ approach to the security crisis in the Sahel and what they regarded as the bloc’s perceived alignment with France, their former colonial power.

The three countries subsequently strengthened their cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States, also known as the Confederation of Sahel States, a political and economic grouping established by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The withdrawals marked a major shift in West African regional relations, with the three countries pursuing closer coordination outside the ECOWAS framework.

Dare’s comments come amid continued efforts to address the security, political and economic implications of the fragmentation of regional cooperation in West Africa.

Also speaking at the colloquium, the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), said the administration of President Tinubu was prioritising national security as part of efforts to protect Nigeria’s sovereignty, preserve democratic institutions and promote national development.