As Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger officially cut ties with ECOWAS, Issoufou Boubacar Kado Magagi, a Nigerien socio-economic and political analyst, foresees a promising future for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which consists of these three countries.
"Currently, there is talk of Chad joining the alliance. Togo has expressed its intentions to join. They say that Ghana is also interested," he told Sputnik Africa.
The expert noted that "this definitive separation is taking place amicably" and through diplomatic means.
However, he suggested that ECOWAS faces a potential breakdown due to interference by European Union countries, especially France, in its domestic affairs.
At the same time, Kado Magagi believes that the AES nations will not completely sever ties with ECOWAS, as the people remain connected by fraternal and economic relationships that have existed since before the colonial period.