AES/ECOWAS: The West African Organisation still under influence
A brief glance at images from West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) summits reveals a stark truth: foreigners often dominate an organization ostensibly meant for the people of West Africa.
Consequently, the organization tends to prioritize the interests of these outsiders.
This explains why the symbolic leaders of this so-called community organization relentlessly target the people of the Sahel States Alliance (AES) to appease their patrons.
ECOWAS’s actions against the leaders and peoples of AES countries starkly illustrate the pressure it faces from French neo-colonialists.
Under the demands of imperialists and neocolonialists, these leaders are willing to sacrifice the interests and historical ties of their people.
This trend has persisted since the organization accepted colonial powers within its ranks.
Following their recent meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, it became evident that to overthrow military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, they are willing to jeopardize years of efforts towards integrating peoples.
Their strategy, crafted in the Élysée Palace, includes demanding passports from AES nationals for travel within ECOWAS member countries.
This could prove costly for ECOWAS member states. It’s clear that ECOWAS leaders are merely executing orders from foreign powers, disregarding their populations and national interests.
In their bid to please their masters, these leaders are leading ECOWAS into an unprecedented crisis, oblivious to the consequences for their own nations. Ultimately, time will judge their actions.
Meanwhile, AES countries remain resolute in pursuing their path despite the challenges ahead.
Titi KEITA