Alliance of Sahel States 'Sounds the Death Knell for ECOWAS': Mali's Defense Official

The creation of the Alliance of Sahel States, comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, marks the beginning of the end of ECOWAS, as the regional bloc has failed as a project and the need for a new organization has arisen, Fousseynou Ouattara, Vice-President of the Defense Commission of the National Transitional Council of Mali, said in an interview with Sputnik Africa.

"This alliance already sounds the death knell for ECOWAS. It could lead to the disintegration of ECOWAS," Ouattara said, adding: "ECOWAS has failed in its fundamentals. Now we have to build a new organization. And a foundation stone for this new organization has already been laid."

The official recalled that the creation of this new alliance took place against the backdrop of growing tensions between its founding members on the one hand and ECOWAS on the other, as well as the deterioration of relations between the three countries and France, a former colonial power.

Following the July military coup in Niger, ECOWAS suspended all cooperation with the country and threatened a military intervention if the military did not reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. According to Ouattara, the risk of intervention by ECOWAS still exists.

He stressed that the regional organization would not threaten a military response to the coup without "orders" from the former colonial state - France.

"If you see that there are 'hot heads' at the ECOWAS level asking to intervene militarily in Niger, it is because these 'hot heads' are acting on the orders of [French President Emmanuel] Macron, this needs to be discussed openly. Without Macron, I don't think the idea of attacking Niger would have even arisen," he said.

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Commenting on the Liptako-Gourma Charter that established the bloc, Ouattara noted that this type of alliance had been called for for a long time. He explained that the three countries share the Liptako-Gourma region in the Central Sahel.

According to the official, this region is facing a complex crisis caused by increasing competition for resources, intercommunal tensions and violence caused by terrorists. Thus, the establishment of the alliance is of a particular importance.

"It is an area coveted by France and several Western countries because of the riches buried in its soil. So it is a zone of destabilization for the three countries, and by joining hands we can not only restore security and put an end to terrorism, but also accelerate joint development efforts," Ouattara stated.

The charter allows for the accession of any state that shares the same geographical, political and socio-cultural realities and accepts the objectives of the alliance. According to the vice-president, all ECOWAS countries could meet these criteria. Therefore, the creation of the alliance is a call to all West African countries "to pull themselves together."

"It's a way of telling everyone to come and meet with the three countries so that we can create a new union that will be free and no longer under the supervision of anyone," he noted.

According to Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, who commented on the development on Sunday, the alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries. He also noted that the main priority would be the fight against terrorism.

At the same time, the minister stressed, any attack on one of the member countries will be considered an attack on the other participants, in accordance with the union's charter.