Burkina Faso sends formal notification to ECOWAS requesting its withdrawal
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkina Faso's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday sent an official notification to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) confirming the decision taken jointly on Sunday with Mali and Niger to withdraw from this sub-regional organisation, official sources said on Tuesday.
In a joint communiqué dated 28 January 2024, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger announced their decision to withdraw immediately from the Economic Community of West African States.
"In this regard, this communication constitutes formal notification of this decision to the ECOWAS Commission, the Depositary Authority, for the information of ECOWAS Member States, the African Union, the United Nations and all other organizations identified by it", wrote the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabè Abroad.
Mali also sent an official notification to ECOWAS on Monday to confirm its withdrawal, according to a press release received by PANA.
Burkina Faso will find alternative mechanisms to deal with the repercussions of its withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), decided jointly with Mali and Niger on Sunday, explained Burkina Faso's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré on Monday.
In an interview with Burkina Faso's national television channel, Mr. Traoré explained that as far as cooperation with other states was concerned, "I must remind you that our relations with ECOWAS concern one aspect, the multilateral aspect".
"And beyond that, Burkina Faso continues to have historic bilateral relations with all its neighbours. These relations will continue and possibly be strengthened," he assured.
He maintained that "we are in a process of endogenous structuring in a more structural area which is that of Liptako Gourma and which enables us to reflect on much more coherent issues".
Mr. Traoré acknowledged that this withdrawal from ECOWAS has inevitable consequences, as "we are bound by a treaty with many additional protocols. But it was with full knowledge of the facts that the heads of state took the decision, knowing that there would be repercussions. The most important thing, however, is to think about alternative mechanisms for dealing with these repercussions."
For him, the free movement of people and goods is a major issue.
"These are areas in which ECOWAS has worked at length, and this sector will certainly be impacted. There are other mechanisms that will make it possible to arrange this and to have agreements with the States individually," he said.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have already created the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in a joint declaration on Sunday.
-0- PANA TNDD/JSG/SOC/BBA/RA 30Jan2024
