Breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – Mali, Niger Republic and Burkina Faso – widened the gulf between them and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member nations yesterday.
They slammed a 0.5 per cent import duty on all goods from ECOWAS members. They however exempted humanitarian aid from the imposed tariff.
The move further strains relations between the three junta-led nations and ECOWAS.
The three countries severed links with ECOWAS earlier last year following a series of military coups which attracted condemnation and economic sanctions from the regional body.
The AES, which began as a security pact between the military rulers of the three countries in 2023, has now metamorphosed into an aspiring economic union with plans for biometric passports and closer economic and military ties.
In a joint statement, the AES said the levy aims to generate revenue to fund the alliance’s activities.
The tax, which came into effect on March 28, will disrupt the free trade once enjoyed by all countries in the West African region.
The economic implications could be severe, leading to higher consumer prices, supply chain disruptions and strained regional economic stability.
While it may provide short-term revenue for the junta-led governments, it risks other long-term consequences, including weakened regional integration.
ECOWAS has maintained that it will keep diplomatic channels open with the junta-led states until July, despite announcing their permanent expulsion from the bloc earlier this year.
Niger withdraws from MNJTF
Also yesterday, Republic of Niger announced its exit from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The international force is fighting armed Islamist groups – Boko Haram and Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) in West Africa’s Lake Chad region.
Announcing the exit in a bulletin on state television, the Nigerien government said the decision became necessary to shore up security around oil assets at home.
The MNJTF, which also includes soldiers from Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, has been working to stem the insurgency since 2015, but progress has been hobbled by division and poor coordination, allowing armed groups to flourish across the region’s sparsely populated scrublands.
The MNJTF has yet to comment on Niger’s withdrawal, and it is unclear how the step will affect the mission’s future.
The Lake Chad region has been repeatedly attacked by the militant groups (ISWAP and Boko Haram), whose insurgency erupted in Northeast state of Borno in 2009.
Last year, Chad threatened to pull out of the MNJTF after about 40 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base.
And Niger has become increasingly withdrawn since a military junta overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023.
Along with Burkina Faso and Mali – neighbouring states where juntas also snatched power in recent years – it withdrew from regional bloc (ECOWAS) in 2024.
Niger’s junta, which last week announced a five-year transition to constitutional rule, has promised to restore security in the country, whose vast desert north is crossed by migrants and traffickers.
But the army has little control over large parts of the country. Islamist militants killed at least 44 civilians and severely injured 13 others during an attack on a mosque in the Southwest this month.
Its energy infrastructure, including an oil pipeline that links the Agadem oilfield to Benin’s coast, also came under severe attacks.