By Ayomide Joseph
A Former Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has revealed that Russia played a crucial role in the withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning show, Akinyemi, a well-known professor of international relations who also served as Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) maintained that Russia supported the three nations in breaking away from ECOWAS as part of a broader strategy to diminish Western influence in the region.
According to the former foreign Affairs minister, while Russia encouraged the trio’s exit from ECIWAS, it had not demonstrated the capability to assist these countries in combating jihadist groups, including ISIS, operating in the Sahel region.
“I see the hand of Russia in this, i think Russia is emboldening these three countries to breakup ECOWAS as part of the attempt to weaken the Western influence in this part of the world, and yet Russia has not shown that it has the capability to help these three countries to combat the jihadist, the ISIS who are running wild in the sahel,” he said.
Earlier reports indicated that Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso jointly announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, following increased tensions between the regional bloc and these Sahel nations, particularly after the military coup in Niger.
It would be recalled that ECOWAS, led by President Bola Tinubu, had threatened military action if the junta in Niger failed to transfer power to a civilian government.
Despite this, the regimes in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso resisted the pressure, leading to their decision to quit ECOWAS.
ECOWAS responded to the withdrawal with a statement expressing readiness for a negotiated solution, emphasizing the importance of the three nations within the community.
However, as of the statement’s release, ECOWAS claimed not to have received any formal notification from the countries regarding their exit.
The strained ties between the Sahel nations and ECOWAS began after military coups in Niger in July 2022, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Mali in 2020.
Following the coups, Niger and Mali faced heavy sanctions and were suspended from the West African bloc. The three nations, struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, strengthened their stance and formed an “Alliance of Sahel States.” France’s withdrawal of troops from the Sahel region in September raised concerns about the potential southward extension of conflicts to Gulf of Guinea states like Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Ivory Coast.
