On Foreign News,
Mali reaffirmed its exit without delay from West African bloc ECOWAS, saying it was not bound by the organisation’s one-year timeframe for withdrawal.
This was according to a foreign ministry document seen by AFP today.
Bamako’s military government announced its withdrawal from ECOWAS on January 28, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Article 91 of the bloc’s treaty stipulates that member countries remain bound by their obligations for a period of one year after notifying their withdrawal.
The letter said that ECOWAS had rendered the treaty “inoperative” when it failed to meet its obligations by closing member states’ borders with Mali in 2022, denying it access to the sea.
Mali was a founding member of ECOWAS back in 1975 but the regional group suspended the country and imposed heavy sanctions after a military coup overthrew the elected civilian government.
