The deterioration relations between Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and three estranged Sahelian nations which include Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has further come to limelight as Burkina Faso launched new biometric passports without the logo of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on their cover.
Penpushing reports that, Burkina Faso Security Minister of Burkina Faso Mahamadou Sana on the passport issue was quoted as affirming that there is no Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), logo inscribed
‘There’s no ECOWAS logo, and no mention of ECOWAS either. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso’, he declared
This new document will allow online pre-registration, flexible registration in connected or disconnected mode, instant transmission of data to embassies and increased security. Those seeking new passports will pay a fee according to a previously fixed rate of 50,000 West African CFA francs ($84.46), but “certain amenities around the new passport may be subject to taxes’, he stated
Penpushing further reports that the Head of the National Identification Office (ONI), Parfait Loure said the new document is made from polycarbonate, explaining that the Chinese company Emptech designed the new passport.
The Head of the National Identification Office said the new passport belongs to the latest generation of passports recommended by international civil aviation authorities, stressing that it is the culmination of a process launched in 2022 that makes Burkina Faso the first country in West Africa and the 10th on the continent to acquire a state-of-the-art identification document.
Penpushing also reports that Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has warned that the three countries’ withdrawal would undermine the freedom of movement and common market of the 400 million people living in the 50-year-old bloc.
The three countries’ exit comes as their armies battle groups linked to armed groups whose insurgencies have destabilised West Africa’s central Sahel region over the past decade and threaten to spill over into coastal states.
Penpushing reports that it is recalled that on January 28, 2024 Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, all led by military juntas announced that they were exiting Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
The pronouncement followed Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sanctions imposed on the three countries following successful military coups and the threat of military force to dislodge putschists in Niger.
Penpushing further reports that Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tchiani of confirmed the exit of the countries at a summit in July, declaring that the peoples of the Sahel have irrevocably turned their backs on Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Penpushing also reports that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has since sought to persuade the three to reconsider their decision, but a break-up appears inevitable given the deteriorating political situation in the region.
Meanwhile, the three countries since their t militaries seized power in a series of coups in 2020-2023, have formed a three-way defence and cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and severed long-standing military and diplomatic ties with Western powers, seeking instead closer relations with Russia.
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