A summit of West African leaders commenced a day after Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger's military rulers established a new alliance, separating from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The ECOWAS summit is being held in Abuja,
Nigeria's capital, as several West African leaders called for renewed dialogue
with the three coup-affected Sahel countries. These countries signed a new
defense pact, the Alliance of Sahel States, on Saturday during their own summit
in Niamey, Niger’s capital. This pact, announced last September, enables
cooperation in cases of armed rebellion or external aggression. The three
nations exited ECOWAS in January following the bloc's stringent stance on the
coups.
Reporting from Abuja, Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris
stated that the Sahel alliance’s announcement aimed to demonstrate the
countries' independence from the regional bloc. However, analysts warn that
Mali and Niger, in particular, could struggle if ECOWAS members collectively
isolate these landlocked countries.
Currently, the military leaders of Burkina Faso,
Mali, and Niger appear to have momentum and are seeking global support. ECOWAS
faces significant challenges in reintegrating these countries if they choose to
return.
During the summit, Niger General Abdourahamane
Tchiani criticized ECOWAS as a threat and emphasized the desire to form an
alliance free of foreign influence. Although ECOWAS lifted sanctions on Niger
in February to improve relations, progress has been minimal. These sanctions
were initially imposed after the July 2023 coup that brought Tchiani to power.
Burkina Faso experienced a coup in September 2022, and Mali in August 2021.
Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, media assistant to Nigeria's
president, noted that despite strained relations, some progress has been
achieved in de-escalating tensions over the past year. He highlighted that the
handling of fragile situations, though not ideal, prevented worse outcomes.
As the Sahel region shifts towards aligning with
Russia, the United States is completing its withdrawal from a key base in
Niger, built to combat groups allied with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). About 1,000
US military personnel are set to leave Niger’s Air Base 101.
The coups have led to increasingly strained
relations between the breakaway countries and the West, particularly France,
the former colonial ruler. French troops withdrew from Mali in 2022 and from
Niger and Burkina Faso last year.
Despite these political and military changes,
armed groups remain a significant threat to the region. Security consultant
Kabir Adamu noted that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger would still require
support from the broader region. He warned that isolating themselves from
ECOWAS and other Sahel countries could allow armed groups to exploit gaps,
increasing the toll on security forces and citizens.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and
Event Data Project (ACLED), violence in the region resulted in over 8,000
deaths in Burkina Faso in 2023, and progress against armed groups regressed in
Niger. In Mali, military forces, in collaboration with Russia's Wagner
mercenaries, have been implicated in the indiscriminate killing of civilians.
As these developments unfold, the situation in
the Sahel region remains precarious. The newly formed Alliance of Sahel States
must navigate complex political and security challenges while seeking to
establish their autonomy and stability amidst regional and international
tensions.