The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has given Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger a six-month ultimatum, from January 29 to July 29, 2025, to reconsider their decision to withdraw from the regional bloc.
This decision was announced by the President of the ECOWAS Commission Omar Touray, following the 66th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in Abuja.
The three countries had previously notified ECOWAS of their intention to leave the bloc, with the one-year statutory period set to expire on January 29, 2025. According to the provisions of Article 91 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, any member state wishing to withdraw must notify the ECOWAS Authority, and the withdrawal does not take immediate effect. Instead, a one-year period is allowed for the country to fulfill its financial and legal obligations to ECOWAS and its affiliated institutions.
ECOWAS has now set the period between January 29 and July 29, 2025, as a transitional phase during which the bloc will continue to engage with the three countries. During this period, ECOWAS will keep its doors open for the countries to reconsider their withdrawal. The mandate of the mediation efforts led by President Bassirou Faye of Senegal and President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo will also be extended through this period.
The ECOWAS Authority has directed the Commission to begin formal withdrawal procedures after the deadline of January 29, 2025, if the countries do not reconsider their decision. Additionally, a contingency plan will be drawn up to address the political and economic relations between ECOWAS and the three nations. An Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers will be convened in the second quarter of 2025 to adopt the separation modalities and contingency plan.
In his closing remarks, President Bola Tinubu commended the leaders of ECOWAS for their united efforts in addressing the region’s challenges. He emphasized the importance of staying committed to the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, and good governance. President Tinubu also acknowledged the diplomatic efforts of ECOWAS leaders, including the outgoing Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose leadership he praised.
