https://arab.news/zfxj4
DAKAR: Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has said he is “making progress” in a mediation mission with junta-led Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, after the trio announced their departure from regional bloc ECOWAS.
The three Sahel countries announced in January they were leaving the Economic Community of West African States, which they accused of being subservient to former colonial ruler France and failing to support them in their fight against jihadist violence.
Their departure becomes effective one year after the announcement, in January 2025, according to the bloc.
The trio have formed the Alliance of Sahel States after severing ties with France and pivoting toward Russia.
ECOWAS appointed Senegal’s Faye as a “facilitator” in July to get them to remain in the bloc.
“I am making progress with this mission,” Faye said on Sunday at the Doha Forum for political dialogue in Qatar.
“There is nothing today to prevent the Alliance of Sahel States from being maintained, since it is already there and is a response to the security situation facing these countries in particular,” he said.
“At the same time, this should not, in my view, mean the disintegration of ECOWAS,” he added.