The fragmentation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is no longer a theoretical concern but a stark reality.
On January 29, 2025, despite a six-month extension offer from ECOWAS, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)-Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger-formally withdrew from the Community, marking the most significant crisis in West Africa's regional integration since the founding of ECOWAS in 1975.
This second major rupture, after Mauritania's exit in 2000, deals a significant blow to African regional integration and cooperation architecture.
Mauritania left primarily to pursue cultural and economic alignment with the Maghreb.
