The departure of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has effectively ended free trade across the region, deepening the divide between these Sahel nations and key democracies such as Nigeria and Ghana.
The three West African countries recently withdrew from ECOWAS, accusing the bloc of failing to support their fight against armed groups and ongoing insecurity. In response, ECOWAS had imposed economic, political, and financial sanctions, aiming to pressure them into restoring constitutional rule—efforts that ultimately proved ineffective.
For years, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have struggled with insurgencies, resulting in thousands of deaths, mass displacement, and a loss of public confidence in their democratically elected governments, which initially failed to contain the violence.