ECOWAS countries also imposed irrational and illegal sanctions that violated their own principles, the three countries argued in their decision statement.
There was a military coup in Niger on 26 July, after which ECOWAS imposed sanctions and threatened military action. The neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali were already clearly on Niger's side. Both countries are ruled by the military after the overthrow of the government and are suspended from ECOWAS.
Triple alliance since September
In September, the three governments came together to form an alliance of Sahel states. The agreement allows for mutual military assistance. It is also about taking joint measures against “terrorist groups” and ensuring the security of the country’s borders.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are located in the Sahel zone, at the southern tip of the Sahara, and have been ravaged for years by Islamic terrorist groups that carry out bloody attacks on civilians and increasingly control the territory. In the dispute, the three states distanced themselves from former colonial power France, which had previously been active with military aid.
In the West, there are also fears of Russia's growing influence in these countries: Mali relied on Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group in the fight against terrorists. After the death of its chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, it was expected that Russian aid would possibly be continued by another private army.
Unsuccessful attempts at rapprochement
Despite several attempts to negotiate the readmission of the coup countries into the economic community, relations between ECOWAS and the three military governments continued to deteriorate. ECOWAS previously consisted of 15 member states, making it one of the largest regional economic communities in Africa. Its aim is to promote economic cooperation between Member States in order to improve living standards.
Fear of forest fire
For a long time, Niger was considered a stabilizing pole for the region – and also an ally of the West and especially of Europe. Since the coup, the situation in the region has worsened. There is now a risk of greater destabilization in West and Central Africa, where seven coups d'état have already been perpetrated in the last three years alone. The Sahel region, ravaged by hunger and violence, is one of the poorest regions in the world. Thousands of people died and millions fled, including to Europe. Niger, in particular, is also strategically and economically relevant to Europe, the US, China and Russia due to its leading role in combating Islamists in the region and its uranium and oil reserves.