Sahel military leaders bid farewell to ECOWAS

Three countries, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso who withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, have formally left the West African bloc.

The announcement was made in Niamey, Niger on Saturday when the military juntas officially created the Alliance of Sahel Countries, AES.

This was during the first summit of the Sahel bloc held in Niger on Saturday, July 7, 2024.

“Today it is evident that fear has changed position, we are now witnessing terrorists dropping their weapons,” Malina junta leader, Assimi Goita said.

The man who took over power in 2022 furthered that, the engagement of their soldiers has been great, and they have been on the offensive taking back areas where terrorists were holding. Thus, the alliance is yielding fruits.

“The AES that we put in place is first of all that of the people, where Burkinabes will be in Mali or Niger without having to go through bureaucratic barriers.”

The Alliance of Sahelian States is not only for security reasons but also for socio-economic, religious, and political benefits.

Colonel Goita was named President of the AES for a period of a rotational one year.

“For more than 40 years for a country like Niger, some countries have exploited uranium for their benefit, from Ottawa to Paris, they have electricity, they have lights everywhere… but in Niger, there is no light…this is why we decided to revolt and take out destinies into our hand.” Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore said.

The leader of the transitional government said ECOWAS is a chain that was created by the West, “ECOWAS is an elite trained and formatted to be in the chain, we refused to be in their midst and hostilities started…Manipulation and disinformation, but Sahel people know the truth, they know what they want, what they are doing, and where they are going,” he said.