Mali has announced that it will officially withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on 29 January. In a letter dated 13 January and reported by the local press on Wednesday, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Oumar Aliou Touray, confirmed that the Republic of Mali will officially withdraw from ECOWAS as of 29 January 2025.

Turay noted that as of this date, the Commission will begin to take the necessary measures to confirm Mali’s separation from the organisation, and proposed a meeting between the technical teams of the two parties to discuss the details of this withdrawal.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which make up the Sahel Alliance, have announced their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS, an organisation that currently includes 15 West African countries, stressing that their decision to leave the organisation is “irreversible”.