The military leader of Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tiani, on Saturday insisted that his country, along with her neighbours – Mali and Burkina Faso, have “irrevocably turned their backs” on the West African bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He disclosed this in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic, at the opening of a summit between the three Sahelian nations, which pulled out of the larger group earlier this year.
“Our people have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States),” Tiani said.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, had on Thursday, lamented that despite several efforts being made by the regional bloc to bring the three countries back to the fold, they were not showing any sign of returning to the group.
While speaking at the opening ceremony of the 92nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the bloc, in Abuja, he said ECOWAS was yet to establish a framework for negotiation with the authorities in the three Sahelian countries on their decision to withdraw their membership from the Community.
On January 28, the three military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced they would leave the ECOWAS.
“Despite our entreaties, in the form of softening of sanctions, invitation of the governments to technical meetings, and request for meetings, we have not yet gotten the right signals from these Member States,” Touray said.
A divided West Africa hosts two presidential summits this weekend – one in Niger between leaders of the Sahel region’s military regimes, followed by another in Nigeria on Sunday with leaders of a wider economic bloc.
Michael Olugbode
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