Niger’s military leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has declared that his country, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, has definitively broken ties with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This announcement came at the inaugural summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a new bloc formed by the three nations following their withdrawal from ECOWAS earlier this year.
Tiani, who seized power in Niger through a coup in July 2023, asserted that the people of the three countries have “irrevocably turned their backs” on ECOWAS. The AES, comprised of leaders who rose to power through coups between 2020 and 2023, accuses ECOWAS of being manipulated by France, a former colonial power in the region. Tiani emphasized the need for the new alliance to establish itself as a “community far removed from the stranglehold of foreign powers.”
The military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have consistently sought to diminish French influence, expelling French anti-jihadist troops and forging partnerships with Russia, Turkey, and Iran, nations they describe as “sincere partners.” They also criticize ECOWAS for its perceived inadequacy in combating the persistent jihadist violence plaguing the Sahel region.
Tiani declared the AES to be the “only effective sub-regional grouping in the fight against terrorism,” accusing ECOWAS of “conspicuous by its lack of involvement” in addressing this threat.
Relations between the three countries and ECOWAS significantly deteriorated after the 2023 coup in Niger. ECOWAS imposed severe economic sanctions on Niger and threatened military intervention to reinstate the deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum. Although these sanctions were lifted in February, tensions remain high between the two sides.
The issue of relations with the AES is set to be a central topic at ECOWAS’s upcoming summit of heads of state, scheduled for Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria.
