ECOWAS has pledged to strengthen engagement with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger despite their withdrawal from the regional bloc and formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, AES.
The commitment came from the new ECOWAS Commission President, Birame Diop, during his formal inauguration in Abuja.
Diop said the bloc must urgently rebuild internal cohesion and maintain dialogue with the three former member states, describing ECOWAS as being at a crossroads. He stressed that the countries remain closely connected by geography, security and economic interests.
“We have no other choice, our brothers, our neighbours, our comrades have left us, but geography remains the same”, Diop said.
He noted that ECOWAS and the AES countries share about 5,250 kilometres of borders, with their populations continuing to interact.
“So we have no other choice than to work in a solidary, concerted manner for the interest of both spaces”, he added.
Diop identified terrorism, irregular migration, transboundary crime and environmental challenges as common threats requiring cooperation.
Outgoing Commission President Omar Touray, meanwhile, urged the new leadership to preserve the strength of ECOWAS institutions.
“Leadership is temporary. Institutions endure”, Touray said, stressing that the strength of an institution should not depend on the individual leading it.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, called on the new ECOWAS leadership to focus on regional integration, peace, security and financial accountability. He said Nigeria remained committed to the bloc’s stability and progress, while urging ECOWAS to prioritise an organisation driven by citizens rather than governments.
