Africa takes another loud step away from the West and Western-influenced African states

World order keeps shifting as Mali, Niger & Burkina Faso leave ECOWAS simultaneously.

6 months ago, I asked ‘Is the Cold War Heating Up Africa?’ and subtitled that post with, ‘Making Plans for Niger’. I was expecting a major shift in Africa and expecting most of the West to ignore its impact despite it affecting ECOWAS, the African political and economic grouping seemingly influenced by the West.

5 newsletters followed, with links to news items as France’s black colonial empire shrank faster than a televised fat camp.

It became easier to not follow developments as Ukraine began falling apart, and Israel did its best to turn brown-skinned people into red dust.

I scarcely noticed on 5 December 2023 as these three countries officially pulled out of the G5 Sahel counter-terrorism security alliance, forcing the remaining two members, Chad and Mauritania, to announce its dissolution. That it was also known as the G5 du Sahel makes it clear that French troops were involved (as was the United Nations, which also means the USA).

On 28 January 2024, the juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso issued this joint statement for their exit from ECOWAS:

Eager to achieve integration between the States of the sub-region and driven by the ideals de of brotherhood, solidarity, mutual aid, peace and development, Their Excellencies General Aboubacar Sangoulé Lamizana, General Moussa Traoré and Lieutenant Colonel Seyni Kountché, respectively Heads of State of Upper Volta (current Burkina Faso), Mali and Niger, created with twelve (12) of their peers, on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

After 49 years of existence, the valiant people of Burkina, Mali and Niger note with much regret, bitterness and great disappointment that their Organization has moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and Pan-Africanism.

Furthermore, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure.

Indeed, the organization has not provided assistance to our States in our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity; worse, when these States decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture by imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its own texts; all things which have further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence imposed by instrumentalized and remote-controlled terrorist hordes.

Faced with this continuing situation, Their Excellencies, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Colonel Assimi Goïta and Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, respectively Heads of State of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, taking all their responsibilities in the face of history and responding to the expectations, concerns and aspirations of their populations, decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States.

Done in Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niamey, January 28, 2024

Mali, Niger & Burkina Faso cannot legally pull out immediately but its unlikely the rest of ECOWAS has the leverage to stop them.

There will be consequences, especially as landlocked countries - businesses ruined, higher prices, and the freedom of African and tourist travel restricted. Sanctions and the reduction in international aid has already caused major hardship.

If there isn’t instability such as coups, I expect Russian and Chinese influence to grow in the rebel states.

I’ll let French TV have the last word.