Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Ambassador. Yusuf Tuggar has echoed concerns over Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger’s reluctance to rejoin the regional bloc. Tuggar, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the 92nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers on Thursday in Abuja, noted that despite ECOWAS’s efforts to engage these countries, they have not responded positively.
Since January 28 2024, when the military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS, the regional body has attempted to negotiate their return through sanctions relief and invitations to technical meetings.
However, these attempts have been met with silence.
Tuggar also raised concerns about the organisation’s financial health, stating that increasing demands and complex challenges are straining resources.
He called for urgent and decisive action to improve financial stability through better Community Levy mobilisation.
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