The human rights implications of West Africa's 'Brexit'

In late January, the heads of the military junta in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew their membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), following their suspension by the leadership of the regional bloc.

Leaders of the three countries announced their exit in a joint communique, accusing ECOWAS of "betraying its founding principles" and constituting a threat to member states and their peoples. They further criticised ECOWAS for its failure to promote regional stability and support the fight against insurgency.

"Faced with this continuing situation, Their Excellencies, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Colonel Assimi Goita, and Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, respectively Heads of State of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, taking all their responsibilities in the face of history and responding to the expectations, concerns and aspirations of their populations, decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States," the document read in part.

Relations between ECOWAS and the three countries broke down after they were sanctioned following a wave of military takeovers that ousted their civilian presidents. Calls for a return to democratic rule have been rebuffed by the juntas, defying the leadership of ECOWAS amid threats of military intervention.

Established in 1975, the 15-member regional organisation ECOWAS aims to enhance cooperation, integration and economic stability in West Africa and improve its peoples' living standards. Through its military arm, ECOWAS has conducted military interventions to resolve crises in member nations, achieving successful missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and The Gambia, among other locations.

Following their recent fall-out with ECOWAS, the military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, a pact aimed at collective defence and mutual assistance between the three nations.

"This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries," Abdoulaye Diop, Mali’s Defence Minister revealed, suggesting countermeasures to the ECOWAS sanctions.

A Brewing humanitarian crisis

Sanctions such as border closures, trade embargoes and flight restrictions have severely impacted citizens in the affected countries, particularly in Nigeria and neighboring Niger. The resulting soaring prices and scarcity have worsened existing economic and humanitarian crises.

Experts have expressed worries over the implications of these sanctions on food access and additional humanitarian matters in the region.

"There is an issue of food security," said Teniola Tayo, a trade policy advisor at the Africa Policy Research Institute in Berlin. 

"I have seen reports on how traders are being discriminated against at some West African borders, and how this [border closure] has affected businesses and incomes. Flight times have increased and many flights have been rerouted. [The closure of airspace] is going to affect the transportation industry and travel services within West Africa. It will affect travel integration and make West Africa even less connected."

Tayo further stated that the situation also affected decisions to continue humanitarian operations in the region.

"Some organisations will be second-thinking operations there, as some of the wider government accountability mechanisms that existed, either through ECOWAS or the UN, are eroding," she said.

In August 2023, Niger’s military leaders suspended operations of all non-governmental organisations, international watchdogs and active UN missions in the country, a decision the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said had worsened the humanitarian crisis.

Vulnerable migrants in limbo

With the ongoing crisis, there is growing concern about the uncertain future facing vulnerable populations, particularly migrants, within the region.

Oluwole Ojewale, a policy expert and regional coordinator at the Institute for Security Studies, highlighted the serious implications for regional migration, traditionally a transit route to Europe. This comes after Niger's military government repealed a law aimed at curbing illegal migration, intensifying concerns.

"The repealing of that law has created a relaxed atmosphere for illegal migrants, who have Europe as their destination, to pass through Agadez in Niger," he said. "It raises serious security and humanitarian concerns for Europe. You may find that there are more people in Libya who are waiting to cross into Europe due to this development."

Beyond migration, Ojewale noted that the disintegration of the three countries from ECOWAS could jeopardise existing collaborative and cross-border efforts to curb insecurity and give rise to terrorism and violent extremism within the region as military governments remain preoccupied with solidifying their regimes.

"What comes first is protecting the regimes in these three countries, so national security becomes secondary," Ojewale said. "This particularly affects the general security landscape in the countries, and that is why you see attacks on the rise particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso since the military governments came into power.

"The multinational joint task force between Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad is also probably going to suffer a great deal as a result of pulling out from ECOWAS. For instance, Nigeria and Niger share about 1,500 km of borderline, so policing and securing that borderline from infiltration of violent extremists and arms trafficking may become a serious concern."

With the border closures halting the free flow of goods, Ojewale said there was a potential for cross-border smuggling of goods in the affected countries and their neighbours, given the region's import–export realities.

In 2022, Nigeria exported goods worth $193 million to Niger, while the import-revenue on goods from Niger stood at $33 million, according to data from the United Nations COMTRADE. Some of the trading goods include cattle, fruits, petrol products, electricity, tobacco and cement.

"For countries like Nigeria, for instance, cross-border smuggling of those goods may be on the rise. It is in the context in which those goods are being smuggled that other forms of criminality may take place," he said.

The situation jeopardises West Africa's total imports and exports, which are pivotal to the African economic community. In 2022, according to the Trade Information System (ECOTIS) portal, ECOWAS reported exports totaling $131.36 billion. Nigeria was at the forefront with $63.34 billion in exports, with Burkina Faso next at $4.55 billion. Mali's exports were valued at $3.91 billion, and Niger's at $446.14 million.

"Of course we have seen reports about how some traders have been discriminated against at some West African borders, and we know how this can affect trade and food security in the region," Tayo from the Africa Policy Research Institute concluded.

Update (March 21, 2024): In a recent development, ECOWAS reversed sanctions imposed on the three Sahelian countries, citing humanitarian considerations. Financial and economic sanctions on Guinea, which had been in effect since 2021, were also relaxed.

Ojewale described the decision of the Chairman of ECOWAS to withdraw the sanctions as a step in the right direction: "You will prefer to have your house in order and together rather than having a split house over the political disagreements in those countries."

However, the move has been perceived as a sign of the bloc’s dwindling influence in the region, given its initial threats to invade Niger if the junta failed to reverse the coup and release ex-president Mohamed Bazoum. Bazoum remains under house arrest despite the relaxed sanctions.

While Nigerian authorities have reopened land and air borders with Niger, including the reversal on the visa ban on its government officials and their families, Niger's borders with Nigeria and Benin have remained closed despite the lifted sanctions.

Image by Village well, Burkina Faso.