West African military nations are promising visa-free travel to the rival bloc

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West African military nations are promising visa-free travel to the rival bloc

The three West African countries ruled by military leaders announced free movement and residency rights for citizens of the 15-member regional bloc Ecowas, before the trio left the bloc.

The leaders of the states – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – said that the visa and residence decision was taken in the spirit of friendship, and to strengthen the relationship between the people of Africa that has existed for many years.

The trio planned to withdraw from Ecowas in January after rejecting the organization's request to restore democracy.

Ecowas leaders met in Nigeria to discuss the decision, fearing that their withdrawal will have a major impact on regional unity and efforts to improve economic and security cooperation.

During the opening of the conference, the head of the Ecowas commission, Omar Touray, said that their “imminent exit” was disappointing, but he wanted to “commend the ongoing mediation efforts”, reported AFP news agency.

The President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has led efforts to persuade the military to remain part of the bloc, but they have refused.

After a ministerial meeting on Friday in Niger's capital, Niamey, the three states in a joint statement said their decision was “irrevocable”.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger were founding members of Ecowas in 1975.

With their planned departure, this bloc will lose 76 million of its 446 million people and more than half of its total land area.

This is the first split in Ecowas, where the three rebel states formed their own Alliance of Sahel States.

In a statement, the chairman of the new alliance, Mali's military governor Assimi Goïta said the right of Ecowas citizens “to enter, circulate, live, establish and leave the territory” of the new bloc will be preserved.

His statement was seen as a sign to the leaders of Ecowas that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger want to maintain good relations, even though they have left the organization.

The three states gave Ecowas notice in January 2023 that they will withdraw in a year, meeting the deadline set by the bloc of states that decide to leave.

Relations between the bloc and the three countries have been strained after military coups in Niger in July, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.

Ecowas condemned the coup and suspended its membership, hoping to restore the rule of the people.

But the underground leaders dug in their heels, and turned to Russia.

They accuse Ecowas of being too close to Western powers, and increasingly relying on Russia to fight armed jihadists waging an insurgency in the region.