ABUJA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The memberships of the three West African countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have been formally withdrawn from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), one year after the three junta-led nations jointly declared an intention to exit the regional bloc.

The ECOWAS Commission said in a statement that the withdrawal took effect Wednesday. It is a historic exit from the bloc, founded in 1975 to promote economic integration in all economic activities, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial matters, and social and cultural affairs.

The commission, however, said it had decided "to keep ECOWAS' doors open" in the spirit of "regional solidarity and in the interest of the people." It directed, until further notice, all relevant authorities within and outside its member states to, among others, recognize national passports and identity cards bearing the ECOWAS logo held by the citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger and continue to treat goods and services coming from the countries per the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and investment policy.

The commission also directed its organs to allow citizens of the three affected countries to continue to enjoy the right of visa-free movement, residence, and establishment in accordance with the ECOWAS protocols until further notice and fully support and cooperate with ECOWAS officials from the three countries in their assignments for the community.

"These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the countries by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government," the ECOWAS Commission said, adding that it has set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries.

On Jan. 28, 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger jointly declared an intention to withdraw from ECOWAS in response to earlier sanctions imposed by the regional bloc to pressure military juntas in those countries to return to constitutional order. The move sparked concerns among members of ECOWAS, headquartered in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, which later lifted the sanctions.

On Dec. 15, 2024, ECOWAS, at the end of its 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, gave Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger a six-month grace period from Jan. 29 to July 29 this year to reconsider their decision to exit the economic bloc. The decision was to use the six-month grace period as a transitional period and keep the West African bloc's doors open to the three countries during the period, Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, told reporters in Abuja at the time.

"The authority acknowledges that by the provisions of Article 91 of the revised ECOWAS Treaty, the three countries will officially cease to be members of ECOWAS from Jan. 29, 2025," Touray added.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger created the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) on July 6, 2024 after they announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS on Jan. 28, 2024.

On Tuesday, demonstrations took place simultaneously in the three countries of the AES to mark the first anniversary of their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

In Niamey, the capital of Niger, several thousand people on Tuesday marched from Place Toumo to Place de la Concertation. "The people of the AES gathered today to support the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States in its revolutionary approach, to celebrate the first anniversary of the exit from ECOWAS, to say no to the CFA franc, and to warn against the actions of French President Emmanuel Macron," said Abdoulaye Seydou, coordinator of the M62 Movement, one of the organizers.

In Mali, a gathering took place Tuesday afternoon at Kurukanfuga, a site of great national heritage significance near Bamako, the Malian capital. "ECOWAS has turned its back on the ideals of its founding fathers and on pan-Africanism," said Samou Samuel Kone, one of the organizers, from the podium. He said that the organization had become "an obstacle to the development of its member states."

Thousands of people also celebrated the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS Tuesday in large gatherings in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and in several other towns in the country.

On Tuesday morning, Burkinabe Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, presided over an official ceremony to hoist the colors of the three countries of the AES confederation to mark their departure from ECOWAS. A separate gathering took place at the Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou, with the attendance of Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo and thousands of demonstrators carrying flags of the three countries.

Ouedraogo hailed "this historic mobilization," adding that "we are going to fight this battle and we are going to win it together so that our children and our grandchildren can live in a free and prosperous AES space with our horizons." Enditem

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