Burkina Faso has introduced new biometric passports that no longer feature the logo of West Africa’s primary political and economic bloc, signaling its intent to withdraw from the regional alliance following the military takeover of the government.
Burkina Faso, along with Niger and Mali—three neighboring countries now governed by military juntas—jointly announced in January their decision to exit the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Despite ECOWAS’s efforts to persuade them to reconsider, the countries remain firm in their decision.
Security Minister Mahamadou Sana confirmed the move during the passport launch on Tuesday, stating, “This passport does not have the ECOWAS logo or any mention of ECOWAS. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is simply a reflection of that decision.”
ECOWAS has expressed concerns that the withdrawal of these three countries could weaken the bloc’s 50-year-old structure, which facilitates free movement and a common market for 400 million people.
The departure comes as the three countries’ militaries are engaged in battles against groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, whose insurgencies have destabilized the central Sahel region of West Africa over the past decade and now pose a threat to neighboring coastal states.
Since their military takeovers between 2020 and 2023, these nations have formed a defense and cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States, distancing themselves from long-standing military and diplomatic ties with Western powers and pursuing closer relations with Russia.
