The Sahel Says Sayonara to ECOWAS

February 3rd, 2025

Ian Cheng

The entire city of Dallas is in shambles after the Mavericks threw their NBA championship dreams away by trading their superstar point guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, might as well have done the same.

The bloc’s aim is to promote economic development in Africa, and goods can circulate across member nations thanks to a free trade agreement. ECOWAS’s focus has recently shifted to being a peacekeeper, but that has all gone with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger all leaving after a long period of disputes. The trio have formed a new alliance, called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES,) as an alternative. The countries’ respective leaders Assimi Goita, Ibrahim Traore, and Abdourahmane Tiani all dub themselves “interim leaders”, but in reality, they are the spearheaders of military rule.

The AES’ anger is due to recent events, for example, after Niger experienced a successful coup, ECOWAS placed sanctions on the already struggling country. Nigeria cut power supplies, and the Ivory Coast suspended all exports, causing a domino effect that froze a collective $2.2 billion in funds, about 40% of Niger’s budget. The actions were intended to use ECOWAS’ leverage to force changes in the government, but that has not had its desired effects.

This has led to the AES accusing ECOWAS of being too close to the West, something that people resonate with, all thanks to colonial history. For example, France issues the CFA franc for 14 African countries, giving them massive economic influence. The fixed exchange rate between the franc and the euro has greatly decreased liquidity, meaning that it's harder to spend money, something that is key for any financial system.

As a result, the three nations have turned to Russia. A telecommunication deal to put Russian satellites over the region has already been reached. These kinds of acts could allow the Kremlin to expand its sphere of influence by potentially building military bases in the Sahel and taking control of rich natural resources, especially uranium. China has gotten in the act too. The Ganfeng Lithium company has already built a plant in Mali already, which is projected to produce 560 thousand tonnes of the mineral a year, which will be critical for EV batteries and mobile phones. The AES say the exit will help them be more independent, but these foreign policy actions cast doubt on this claim.

ECOWAS has kept its doors open, saying the AES member nations can come back whenever. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are all still in the bloc’s free trade scheme. Even so, the consequences of the departure look massive, because the trio are all landlocked countries that will struggle without Western African support. For example, Niger relies on ECOWAS member Nigeria for 80% of its trade.

Furthermore, ECOWAS also has the ability to provide security and economic support. The loss of this will be devastating for Burkina Faso, where 6.3 million people need humanitarian assistance. In Mali, 90% of the population live in poverty. Terrorism in the Sahel has also been severe. Despite the number of attacks falling, deaths in Burkina Faso from this issue have risen 68%.

The situation also highlights an erosion of democracy. Since ECOWAS failed to reform the military juntas, authoritarian acts have persisted. Niger has already suspended French news outlets from working directly in the country, and leaders are distancing themselves from reports of human rights abuses and killings during peaceful protests. Elections that were scheduled to happen last year have not happened to this day.

Furthermore, the exit deals a blow to ECOWAS, which will lose more than half of its total land area. A growing sentiment is that the bloc is so ineffective, even struggling countries don’t want to be part of it. The common shortcomings of African countries: weak governance, infrastructure, and poverty are only being made worse. All three nations of the AES are ranked in the top 15 in poorest countries index by Focus Economics.

It’s high time for other parties to swoop in and help. The EU, the United States, and maybe even the African Union should take notice and act, because now, ECOWAS is helpless.