KEY POINTS
- Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger plan to issue new biometric passports under the Sahel alliance.
- The three countries have formally exited the ECOWAS bloc, citing a need for harmonized travel documents.
- ECOWAS warns that secession will affect free movement and economic integration in the region.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger will issue new biometric passports as part of their transition from a West African bloc to a new Sahel alliance, according to Mali’s leader on Sunday.
The three junta-led Sahel neighbours announced in January that they would exit the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has attempted to persuade them to reconsider their decision.
Burkina Faso revealed earlier this month that it was issuing new passports sans the ECOWAS insignia.
New biometric passports for the Sahel alliance
“In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the AES (Alliance of Sahel States) will be put into circulation with the goal of harmonising travel documents in our common area and facilitating the mobility of our citizens throughout the world,”
According to Reuters, Malian junta leader Assimi Goita announced on Sunday evening. He spoke ahead of Monday’s meeting of the three countries’ foreign ministers to commemorate the anniversary of their decision to form their alliance.
Goita also stated that they intend to establish a shared information channel “to promote a harmonious dissemination of information in our three states.”
ECOWAS concerns over free movement and stability
ECOWAS has warned that the three nations’ secession will damage the freedom of movement and single market of the 400 million people living in the 49-year-old bloc.
Their departure comes as their forces fight organizations affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State, whose insurgencies have destabilized the region over the last decade and threaten to spread to coastal West African governments.
