Mali, Burkina Faso & Niger Withdrawal from Ecowas- Unfortunate – Pres. Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo describes as unfortunate the decision of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to pullout from ECOWAS. For the President, this development will have negative consequences on the livelihoods of citizens in these countries. He said ECOWAS will soon meet to take a decision on the situation to determine the way forward.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso on January 28, 2024 announced their withdrawal from regional bloc, ECOWAS. Though Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have been suspended by ECOWAS for not reaching consensus with the regional body about when to return to civilian rule, their pullout from ECOWAS came as a surprise.

This is because a lot of progress has been made over the last years but in a joint statement – that was read out on state broadcasters in the three countries – they said ECOWAS had drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism hence the move to withdraw from the regional body. However, at a news conference in Vienna, the capital of Austria, President Akufo-Addo described the latest development by these three countries in the Sahel as unfortunate.

His Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van Der Bellen lauded Ghana for sticking to democratic principles but said the disruption of civilian rule in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a worrying development.

On the Israeli-Hamas conflict, President Akufo-Addo said it is important for the global community to find a lasting solution to this recurring problem.

Since the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, the escalation of violence had led to the loss of lives on both sides of the divide, a development which has derailed progress made under the two-state solution.