A West African summit opens on Sunday amid continuing political turmoil, with military juntas in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso cementing their separatist ambitions at rival meetings.
Junta leaders’ meeting casts shadow over West Africa summit {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
The three countries announced they were forming a new federation but their challenging first meeting on the eve of a summit of the Economic Community of West African States poses a new test for the regional alliance it left earlier this year.
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ECOWAS is already grappling with the challenges of widespread jihadist violence, financial difficulties and the mustering of a regional army.
It is unclear how the weakened coalition will react after Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso adopted a treaty in Niamey on Saturday establishing a “Union of Sahel States.”
The military regimes of these three countries seized power in a series of coups in recent years and jointly announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in January.
They have seceded from former colonial power France and expelled French troops, with Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tiani calling for the establishment of a “community far from the control of foreign powers.”
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“Our people have completely turned their backs on ECOWAS,” General Tiani said on Saturday, rejecting calls to rejoin the group.
The Sahel countries’ withdrawal from ECOWAS was prompted in part by accusations that France was manipulating the organization and not providing enough support to counter-jihadist efforts.
The summit, held in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Sunday, came after several West African presidents called for a resumption of dialogue.
It will be the first such meeting for Senegal’s new President, Bashir Diomae Faye, who said in May that reconciliation was possible.
Relations between Niger and ECOWAS have deteriorated since the July 2023 coup that brought Tiani to power, with ECOWAS imposing sanctions and threatening military intervention to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to power.
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Sanctions were lifted in February but relations between the two countries remain frosty.
Ahead of the ECOWAS summit, defense and finance ministers have been considering funding for a long-proposed “regional force to fight terrorism and restore constitutional order,” according to the ECOWAS Commission.
The plan initially called for establishing a 1,500-person force, followed by a proposal to form a 5,000-person brigade at a cost of about $2.6 billion a year.
ECOWAS has launched military interventions in the past, but threats to intervene after the Niger coup faded away.
As the European Union grapples with regional challenges, ECOWAS Commission Chair Omar Aliu Touray warned that “the fiscal situation is deteriorating.”
Ahead of the summit, he called for “urgent and decisive action to ensure that ECOWAS is responsive to the diverse demands of today.”
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There were also reports of rifts developing over the possible reappointment of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as ECOWAS chairman.
“Some countries want the president to stay on because the region is facing a crisis, but the French-speaking countries want the chairmanship,” Bayo Onanuga, a media adviser to the Nigerian president, told AFP.
Some French-speaking countries were expected to send their foreign ministers to Sunday’s summit instead of their leaders.
Benin’s foreign minister denied the controversy, telling AFP that President Patrice Talon would not attend for “scheduling reasons” and that Talon supported Tinubu’s reappointment.
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