GHANA’S President John Mahama has launched a fresh diplomatic push to re-engage Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the three junta-led Sahel nations that announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) earlier this year.
Speaking in Accra on Tuesday at the launch of ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary celebrations, Mahama described their exit as a serious setback but insisted that isolation was not the answer. His remarks signalled a new chapter in the regional bloc’s efforts to prevent the deepening fragmentation of West Africa.
‘The recent decision by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS is a regrettable development,’ Mahama said. ‘We must respond not with isolation or recrimination, but with understanding, dialogue and a willingness to listen and to engage.’
Accra appoints special envoy for Sahel dialogue
President Mahama, who took office in January, revealed that his administration had appointed a special envoy to initiate high-level diplomatic conversations with the three countries. He framed the move as part of Ghana’s commitment to rebuilding ties with its Sahelian neighbours and strengthening ECOWAS unity.
The Ghanaian leader’s announcement follows earlier efforts by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who recently acknowledged that his attempts to bring the trio back into the fold had reached a dead end.
ECOWAS officials said invitations had been extended to the military-led governments of the three states for Tuesday’s event at Accra’s International Conference Centre. While representatives from the countries were reportedly present, the junta leaders themselves declined to attend, and no official names were released.
From ECOWAS exit to Sahel solidarity bloc
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger—whose military regimes seized power in successive coups between 2020 and 2023—announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in January, accusing the bloc of being influenced by France, the region’s former colonial power.
The three nations have since deepened political and military ties, forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), initially created as a defence pact last year. That bloc now seeks closer economic and strategic integration, symbolising a break from both ECOWAS and Western partners.
All three countries continue to struggle with chronic insecurity, with jihadist groups aligned to either Al-Qaeda or Islamic State launching repeated attacks over the past decade. Despite past deployments of French troops and other international support, governments in the Sahel have failed to fully contain the insurgency.
Mahama prioritises regional stability
Addressing the gathering in Accra, Mahama said that re-engaging with the Sahel states was one of his government’s top foreign policy objectives. ‘I have prioritised diplomatic re-engagement with our Sahelian neighbours,’ he declared.
The Sahel region stretches across the continent’s northwest, between the arid Sahara to the north and savanna lands to the south. The three AES countries together span a vast area of approximately 2.8 million square kilometres—roughly four times the size of France.
Their exit from ECOWAS, the region’s principal political and economic bloc, has raised fears of regional instability and declining cooperation in a region already under pressure from security threats and economic challenges.
While the road to reconciliation remains uncertain, Mahama’s renewed push signals that West Africa’s leadership is not yet ready to accept a permanently fractured ECOWAS.
