Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger pullout from ECOWAS created regional crisis — Tinubu’s aide

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has stated that the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2025 has created a significant regional crisis. This decision weakened ECOWAS protocols that promote regional integration and the free movement of goods and services, according to Dare, who made the remarks at a policy colloquium organized by the Ministry of Defence in Abuja.

The departure of these three countries from ECOWAS, which occurred in January 2025 after they announced their intention to withdraw in 2024, was driven by the bloc's perceived failure to support them against jihadist insurgencies and its alignment with former colonial power France. This move also led to the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, a counter-regional body to ECOWAS, further challenging existing instruments and protocols for regional cooperation.

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