West African leaders’ summit in Abuja, Nigeria, began following an alliance formed by the military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, who recently announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Hosted amid calls from several regional leaders for renewed dialogue with the coup-affected Sahel nations, the ECOWAS summit aims to address the implications of the new defence pact signed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger during their recent summit in Niamey, Niger.
Last September, the three countries established the Alliance of Sahel States, allowing for cooperation in response to internal uprisings or external threats. The withdrawal of these nations from ECOWAS in January came after the bloc took a firm stance against their respective coups.
According to Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris reporting from Abuja, the timing of Saturday’s announcement by the Sahel alliance was intended to demonstrate the autonomy and self-sufficiency of the three countries apart from the regional bloc.
“But some analysts say Mali and Niger in particular could face difficulties if all member countries of ECOWAS decide to isolate the two landlocked countries,” he said.
“Right now, the military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger seem to have momentum on their side and they are scouting the global community for support. ECOWAS has a lot of work ahead before it can bring these three countries back into the fold, if at all they agree to do that.”
Speaking at the summit on Saturday, Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tchiani called the 50-year-old ECOWAS “a threat to our states”, adding that the three countries aim to create an alliance free of foreign influence for their people.
In February, ECOWAS opted to relax sanctions against Niger in hopes of fostering better relations, but efforts for reconciliation have seen limited success. The sanctions were initially imposed after a coup in July 2023 that brought Tchiani to power.
Burkina Faso experienced its coup in September 2022, followed by Mali in August 2021.
Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, a media aide to the Nigerian president, emphasized to Al Jazeera that despite the strained relations between ECOWAS and the Sahel alliance over the past year, there have been some incremental achievements.
“The handling of the fragile situations in these countries – even though perhaps not ideally what we would want – has helped to de-escalate tensions, but at one point, tensions were really high and things could have gone south,” he said.
As the Sahel region shifts towards allying with Russia, the United States is set to complete its withdrawal from a key base in Niger on Sunday, which it had built to combat armed groups that pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
About 1,000 US military personnel were set to withdraw from Niger’s Air Base 101.
Following the coups in West Africa, the breakaway countries have had increasingly strained relations with the West, condemning influence, particularly by former colonial ruler France. French troops left Mali completely in 2022, and they completed their withdrawal from Niger and Burkina Faso last year.
Impact on fighting armed groups
Amid the political and military shifts following the coups, the armed groups continue to pose a considerable danger to the whole region.
Kabir Adamu, a security consultant, told Al Jazeera that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will still need support from the rest of the region.
“If they decide to operate on their own or try to isolate other ECOWAS countries, or other countries within the Sahel, these [armed] groups will continue to exploit these gaps that will be created and of course, continue to impact a heavy toll on both the security forces and the citizens of the three countries.”
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), which tracks violence in the region, more than 8,000 people were killed in Burkina Faso in 2023, and gains against armed groups largely backslid in Niger.
In Mali, it said, military forces were working with Russia’s Wagner mercenaries and had been involved in “indiscriminate killing” of civilians.