English The withdrawal of the Alliance of Sahel States from ECOWAS

What Implications for West African Integration?

Resumen

In January 2024, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso formally announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), marking a watershed moment in regional integration efforts. This precipitous exit—colloquially referred to as "Sahelexit"—has profound implications for West African regional security, political stability, and institutional coherence. Driven by military boards seeking autonomy from ECOWAS democratic conditionality, mounting insecurity from Jihadist insurgencies, and dissent with Western military interventions, the three nations established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as an alternative security framework. This article examines the structural causes, institutional mechanisms, and security implications of the Sahelexit phenomenon through the lens of regionalism under stress. The analysis reveals that while the AES addresses immediate collective security concerns, its foundation in regime survival rather than economic integration, coupled with weakening state capacity and escalating terrorism, threatens both the alliance's viability and broader West African stability. The article concludes that Sahelexit represents not merely institutional fragmentation but a fundamental challenge to the postcolonial framework of African regionalism.