Gowon Advocates Lifting Sanctions On Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso

By Adoba Echono

Nigeria’s former Head of State and one of the founding fathers of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, General Yakubu Gowon, has called on the regional bloc to lift sanctions on Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic.

While noting that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger were three important Member States, he equally called on them to withdraw their notices to leave ECOWAS.

General Gowon, the sole surviving Founding Leader of ECOWAS, made this call in an open letter to the regional bloc which he presented to Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria.

The former Nigerian leader, who presented the letter to Dr.Touray, at a press conference, expressed concern that the pronouncement by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic to exit from ECOWAS threatens the unity of the bloc and has far-reaching implications for ordinary citizens.

“It saddens me to learn that ECOWAS is threatened with disunity following the announcement by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, three important Member States, of their intention to leave the Community,” according to General Gowon,

“The impact of such a decision will have far-reaching implications on the ordinary citizens who have been the major beneficiaries of regional integration.”

He appealed to the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, including leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, to re-unite for peace and stability in the region.

“On behalf of all the founding fathers of the Community and myself, I urge the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, including the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, to put aside their differences and reunite for the peace, stability and prosperity of our sub-region.

“I call on all West African leaders to immediately consider the implementation of the following: lifting of all sanctions that have been imposed on Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger; withdrawal by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger of their notices to leave ECOWAS; and participation of all 15 ECOWAS Heads of State in a Summit to discuss the future of the community, regional security and stability, as well as the role of the international community given the current geopolitical context.

“I wish to once more reiterate to regional leaders that ECOWAS is more than a coalition of States, it is a community established for the good of our peoples, based on shared history, culture and tradition. Neither my generation nor present or future generations will understand or forgive the breakup of our Community,” he said.

He said as one of the founders of the regional economic community, it was incumbent upon him to speak on behalf of the 14 Heads of State and Government who joined him in Lagos, on 27th May 1975, to establish ECOWAS.

Gowon said that, since its inception, the regional bloc had made a number of major accomplishments, including trade liberalisation, the right of West Africans to live legitimately in any country within the Community, as well as successful peacekeeping operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The former Head of State urged all other elders in the region to join him in the campaign to immediately restore unity and shared purpose within ECOWAS.

He expressed his readiness for further engagements to ensure that the Community remains united.

Receiving the letter, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, assured the elder statesman that he would send the letter to all ECOWAS Heads of State.

“Your message is a profound one. I take note of your appeal and recommendations.

“An extraordinary summit has been scheduled to take place in Abuja on Saturday. The heads of state will consider your message in their discussion,” he assured.

The military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger on January 28 this year, announced their withdrawal from the West African bloc ECOWAS.

All three had earlier been suspended following military coups that overthrew elected civilian governments.

Widely seen as West Africa’s top political and regional authority, the 15-nation bloc of ECOWAS , formed in 1975 to promote economic integration in member states, has struggled in recent years to reverse unconstitutional changes in government in the region, including Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger last year.

The three countries, which mulled a counterforce, the Alliance of Sahel States, against the regional bloc after the overthrow of the democratically elected government in Niger, announced their exit from ECOWAS on Sunday, January 28, 2023.

In a joint statement by their military leaders, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso), Col. Assimi Goita (Mali), and Brig. Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani (Niger Republic), the three countries announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS with immediate effect.

The three countries, which are currently under military rule, said they ceased to be members of ECOWAS as the regional body had allegedly “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.”

They claimed that ECOWAS had become a threat to its member states.