Three African juntas are leaving the regional bloc, accusing it of 'inhumane' sanctions

Soldiers who seized power in three West African countries announced Sunday they would withdraw their countries from their regional economic bloc.

Military juntas in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso said they were withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, because of sanctions imposed on the group in response to coups it staged.

In recent years a series of coups have erupted in the Sahel, the arid strip south of the Sahara, forming a continuous strip of military-ruled countries stretching from coast to coast across the continent.

While attempts by the regional bloc to reverse some of these coups have failed, the sanctions it imposed – closing its borders and cutting off the three landlocked countries from major trading partners – have remained in place , as a result of which intense hardship for millions of people.

On Sunday, the three juntas said these sanctions were “inhumane.”

ECOWAS closed land and air borders, imposed a no-fly zone on commercial flights, suspended financial transactions and froze funds the countries had with ECOWAS central banks.

In a statement, the juntas accused the bloc of “betraying its founding principles” and said it had “become a threat to its member states and their people.”

ECOWAS, they said, was acting “under the influence of foreign powers,” although they did not specify which powers they were. The bloc is seen by many West Africans as a tool of France, Britain and the United States, especially those who spend time on social media.

The bloc was founded in 1975, shortly after many West African countries gained independence from imperial rulers, with the aim of achieving economic integration among countries whose borders had been drawn by colonial powers. Later, ECOWAS adopted democracy, security and stability as additional priorities.

Leaving ECOWAS could have major consequences for citizens of the three countries, who previously could travel visa-free between the 15 member states that made up the bloc – consisting of more than 300 million people and more than 1,000 languages.

West African commentators said the countries' departure could have consequences trade relations and regional stability and also cause pain in the other direction for the remaining twelve member states of the bloc. The decision should prompt ECOWAS and the African Union to “reflect on their usefulness, purpose and impact.” said Ayisha Osori, a Nigerian lawyer and political activist, in a social media post.

The current wave of coups started with Mali, where military officers arrested the president in 2020 and forced him to resign on state television. Since then, every time a West African government has been overthrown, the bloc has tried to undo it, sending diplomats to try to convince the coup plotters to hand back power or hold new elections. But the efforts often seemed toothless.

In July, after that mutinous generals seized power in Niger and held the elected president hostage, ECOWAS threatened to deploy its forces to reverse the coup. But the junta members said that if they did, they would kill the president. ECOWAS, led by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, withdrew.

Four months later, the ECOWAS court ordered Niger wants to restore its imprisoned president Mohamed Bazoum.

But nothing happened. Mr. Bazoum is still being held hostage.