Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop has underlined the irreversible expulsion of his nation, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), despite reconciliatory attempts from the group.
The military commanders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso broke away from regional body ECOWAS earlier this year and launched a confederation of their own on Saturday.
ECOWAS chiefs of state convened in Abuja a day later and selected the presidents of Senegal and Togo as mediators of negotiations with the three Sahel states.
Diop said Mali remains open to cooperation with ECOWAS during an interview late Monday on public broadcaster ORTM.
But he spoke out against the likely adoption of visas for nationals of the three countries travelling within ECOWAS.
The three countries’ decision to leave the group was driven in part by their belief that France was controlling ECOWAS and not offering adequate support for anti-jihadist measures.
“Our heads of state were very clear in Niamey when they said the withdrawal of the three countries from ECOWAS is irrevocable and was done without delay, and from now on we must stop looking in the rear-view mirror”, Diop said on Monday.
Mali remains “open to working with our neighbours and other organisations with which we share this space”, he added.
“We will have to maintain discussions with others in order to move forward, but I believe that the path we have embarked upon is not reversible”, he said.
Diop said the creation of a confederation was only one stage of the process, adding that “the vision is to work towards a federation of the three states”.
ECOWAS has said the three countries must abide by a one-year exit timeframe, but the juntas say their withdrawal is effective “without delay”.
The departure has raised concerns over the consequences for the free movement of goods and people within the region.
If visas are re-introduced, “we will be proven right in the sense that some ECOWAS officials have not abandoned the old methods of frightening and blackmailing people”, said Diop.
In “an integration process, there are gains and losses for everyone, but we must work to minimise the impact on our populations”, he added.