The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is working to reintegrate Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger into the regional bloc.
According to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN), the ECOWAS Parliamentary Joint Committee Meeting was held in Abidjan, the former capital of Côte d’Ivoire.
Benjamin Kalu, Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives and chair of the meeting, stated that the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS would exacerbate security issues in the region.
Kalu noted that ECOWAS Parliament is using diplomacy to resolve the issues with these three countries, saying, “We will keep the doors open for them to return to this family. We need them.”
He also mentioned that committee members from the ECOWAS Parliament will soon visit Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger’s Departure
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS in February, forming the Sahel States Alliance (AES) and held their first summit in Niamey, Niger, on July 6.
At the summit, a joint declaration was signed to establish the “Confederation of Sahel States” consisting of the three countries, and Malian President Assimi Goita was elected as the rotating president of AES for one year.