General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who is the head of the military junta in Niger Republic, has declared that none of the three Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger – would be rejoining the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
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Niger coup leader made this vow in an interview he granted to RTN news channel in the country’s capital, Niamey, on Monday.
It is important to note that on January 28, the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger had announced their immediate withdrawal from ECOWAS.
The leaders of the three Sahel nations had stated the withdrawal threat, saying that it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the group “without delay”.
Despite this, General Abdourahamane Tchiani Niger coup leader made it clear that there would be no turning back on their decision to leave ECOWAS.
It remains to be seen how this decision will impact the region’s political and economic landscape, especially given that ECOWAS is a significant regional bloc with a mandate to promote economic integration and political stability in West Africa.
“Just because we are members of the bloc, food and medicine supply was cut off.
Power was also cut off and our own funds have been freezed. So, we consulted our friends in the Sahel on exiting the bloc to better the life of our citizens.
That we should withdraw from the bloc that is answerable to the foreign countries. So, we have withdrawn our membership from the bloc and would never return to the union,” he said.
While responding to the consequences of its withdrawal on security, trade and socio-economic activities, he said, “Now the world is a global village and is the world within ECOWAS? So, God will feed every human He created.
“We would never release Bazoum. Setting Bazoum free is akin to stabbing ourselves in the stomach which would do harm to Nigeriens,” he added.
