Announced a year ago, the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the West African economic union ECOWAS has taken effect today.
The three Sahelian states, governed by military juntas since the coups in 2020, 2022 and 2023, have initiated a realignment of their foreign policy, economic relationships, and security strategies away from ECOWAS and Western countries and towards Russia.
The withdrawal represents a signficant blow to West African regional integration, which had been pursued since the decolonization period to strengthen economic ties between newly independent nations, and is likely to have a harsh economic impact on Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three landlocked countries who are dependent on ECOWAS ports in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Togo to reach global markets.
LithiumRyanBattery on
I wonder if these countries will continue to use the West African CFA franc as currency.
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!ping AFRICA
Announced a year ago, the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the West African economic union ECOWAS has taken effect today.
The three Sahelian states, governed by military juntas since the coups in 2020, 2022 and 2023, have initiated a realignment of their foreign policy, economic relationships, and security strategies away from ECOWAS and Western countries and towards Russia.
The withdrawal represents a signficant blow to West African regional integration, which had been pursued since the decolonization period to strengthen economic ties between newly independent nations, and is likely to have a harsh economic impact on Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three landlocked countries who are dependent on ECOWAS ports in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Togo to reach global markets.
I wonder if these countries will continue to use the West African CFA franc as currency.
Traore, Burkina Faso’s current military dictator, has been running a campaign to achieve [cultural](https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.36VC3CP) and [economic independence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Traor%C3%A9#Presidency) from the West. He has also removed foreign troops and railed against the IMF and World Bank.
Burkina Faso’s decision to leave ECOWAS seems less surprising given that history.