... priority.
The trio has on many occasions pointed to the key reasons behind their collective actions: the failure of the AU and ECOWAS to provide adequate support in the fight against jihadists; “illegal sanctions” that harm the people of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger; and ECOWAS’s unwillingness and/or inability to break free from Western influence. In other words, this integration is driven not only by the desire for collective security, but also by the pushback to the former colonial ruler, France (with which the trio ...
... to the division of Western Africa into two blocs of states, with military tensions and sanctions pressure persisting between them. As the institutions and cooperation mechanisms in the Alliance of Sahel States are being established, competition with ECOWAS will be stiffening, which is a tall order to the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger: moving forward towards their goals, while avoiding an open conflict with the Community. In this regard, existing difficulties in the formation of the Alliance can be seen not only as problems, but also as a way to achieve the long-term ...
... allegedly protecting the regime from jihadists, and with significant external financial assistance, the country’s Western “partners” were unable to help the civilian authorities overcome the political-military crisis.
The interim president of Mali, despite ECOWAS demanding to appoint a civilian politician, was former (2014-2015) defense minister, retired colonel (that is, Goita displayed his willingness to compromise) Bah N’daw, who appointed career diplomat Moctar Ouane to chair the transitional government ...
... opinion in Mali towards France, as well as the G5 Sahel, has tumbled. This is largely to do with a series of diplomatic spats between France, ECOWAS, and the interim Malian government over the course of last year. Besides, sanctions have been imposed by ECOWAS and France for Mali’s purported dealings with the
Wagner Group
, a Russian private military company (PMC), and refusal to stick to the presidential elections’ timeline set by
international agreement
for February 27, 2022. Most recently, on January 14, 2022,
protests
...
