ECOWAS is committed to dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which have left the bloc, Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, told Sputnik, urging the three countries to work together to overcome difficulties and enjoy the benefits of membership in a regional organization.
"The ministers [...] have instructed that, we keep the door to dialog open to each and every one. This is what we plan to do," Touray said. "That dialog we will maintain. And we are confident that our brothers in the three countries [...] I have seen no indication whatsoever that they are not ready for discussion."
In this vein, he called on the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), formed by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the fall of 2023, to "move together," emphasizing the advantages of the integration process over separation.
"Unity is stronger than separation. Therefore, we all stand to benefit from being together. And this is what we are telling, our people that, despite the difficulties we may be facing let us work on those difficulties, move together. Because the world has reached a stage where there are individuals cannot make it alone, they can only make it in a group and this is why ECOWAS is a natural place for each and everyone in West Africa," he noted.
The official also revealed that the final date for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to formally withdraw from ECOWAS is January 29, 2025, one year after the formal notification.
Regarding accusations of illegality surrounding the sanctions imposed on the post-coup countries, Touray cited ECOWAS instruments, including 2012 Supplementary Act and Revised Treaty, as the legal basis for such measures and invited the public to review the documents.
The chairman also reaffirmed ECOWAS' commitment to supporting member states in combating terrorism, stressing the importance of collective action in addressing regional security threats. In this regard, he noted ECOWAS' promise to pay the three countries $1.9 million as a contribution to the fight against terrorism, and revealed that "the actual payment is on."
"This is what we are doing, and we are doing that because our brothers ... the three countries remain, part of our community, we should work together to address insecurity that each and everyone of us is facing," Touray stressed.
In late January, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS. They called the bloc a "threat" to its member states and criticized it for imposing "illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible" sanctions on the three countries.
Last September, the leaders of the three countries signed a charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States to create a "collective defense architecture."
Situation in Senegal
The President of the ECOWAS Commission also addressed recent events in Senegal, where President Macky Sall postponed elections scheduled for the end of February, a move supported by the country's parliament.
Touray called the events "peaceful," noting that Senegal's Constitutional Court recently overturned a presidential decree.
"Senegal is peaceful. I mean, the situation is peaceful. The country is peaceful. I mean, you must have followed, the decision of the Constitutional Court, which has, taken a decision on and, on some of the proposals and, the presidency, the government has indicated its acceptance of the decision of the Constitutional Court," he pointed out.
The president's decision to postpone the elections sparked demonstrations in several cities across the country, which reportedly led to the detention of presidential candidates, arrests of opposition lawmakers, and the shutdown of mobile internet.
Russia-ECOWAS Ties
The commission chairman also spoke about ECOWAS' relations with Russia, noting that the bloc is ready for mutually beneficial relations with Moscow.
"I think, there are a number of areas ECOWAS has been cooperating with many partners on. And, I am sure that when we sit around the table with the Russian friends we should be able to identify areas which would benefit all of us ... We are looking for partnership that would help us develop, that would unite us," Touray concluded.