Burkina Faso has launched new biometric passports without the logo of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on their cover, Reuters reports.
This development further signalled the deterioration of relations between the bloc and estranged Sahelian nations.
On 28 January, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – all led by military juntas – announced that they were exiting ECOWAS. Their announcement followed ECOWAS sanctions imposed on the three countries following successful military coups and the threat of military force to dislodge putschists in Niger.
Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tchiani confirmed their exit at a summit in July, stating that ‘the peoples of the Sahel have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS.’
The three Sahelian countries’ exit from ECOWAS could hurt regional cooperation in curbing the activities of jihadists, bandits and transnational crime syndicates, worsening insecurity, especially in northern Nigeria.
ECOWAS has since sought to persuade the three to reconsider their decision, but a break-up appears inevitable given the deteriorating political situation in the region.
On the passport issue, Reuters quoted Burkina Faso security minister Mahamadou Sana as saying, “There’s no ECOWAS logo and no mention of ECOWAS either. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso.”
ECOWAS has warned that the three countries’ withdrawal would undermine the freedom of movement and common market of the 400 million people living in the 50-year-old bloc.
The three countries’ exit comes as their armies battle groups linked to armed groups whose insurgencies have destabilised West Africa’s central Sahel region over the past decade and threaten to spill over into coastal states.
Since their militaries seized power in a series of coups in 2020-2023, the three countries have formed a three-way defence and cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and severed long-standing military and diplomatic ties with Western powers, seeking instead closer relations with Russia.
