The Economic Community of West African States on Sunday said that it was ready for “a negotiated solution” after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced they were quitting the group.

The three countries are “important members of the community,” and the bloc “remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse,” said ECOWAS in a statement, adding that it had “yet to receive any direct formal notification” from the countries about their withdrawal.

The military regimes in the three countries announced their immediate withdrawal from ECOWAS.

The leaders of the three Sahel nations on Sunday issued a statement saying it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the ECOWAS “without delay”.

Struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, the regimes have had tense ties with ECOWAS since coups took place in Niger last July, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.

Credit: AFP