AES condemns comments by African Union commissioner as interference

Ouagadougou: The Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which brings together Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, denounced and condemned the remarks of the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Bankole Adeoye, who deemed the withdrawal of ECOWAS countries from the AES 'unacceptable' for the AU, during his intervention at the last ECOWAS summit in Abuja.In a joint press release dated July 11, 2024, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the AES countries 'disapprove and condemn with the utmost rigor this attitude contrary to the duty of reserve and the obligation of impartiality which is incumbent on every public official. 'an intergovernmental organization'.At the ECOWAS summit on July 7, 2024 in Abuja, the African Union (AU) Commissioner in charge of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, declared that 'the withdrawal of three countries from the AES is unacceptable for the African Union, and we believe in only one, ECOWAS'.For the heads of diplomacy of the Confederation of Sahel State s, this is an 'unusual' and 'surprising' 'value judgment' coming from an official of the African Union who has no right of interference in the affairs of the member states of this institution.They recalled that the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS is a sovereign decision which, moreover, is in accordance with the revised ECOWAS treaty of 1993.In conclusion, they called on the political organs of the AU to ensure 'scrupulous respect' for the sovereignty of the institution's member states.The three AES countries decided to withdraw from ECOWAS in January 2024, judging the organization distant from its noble missions and exploited by foreign powers. On July 6, they established the creation of the Confederation of Sahel States to jointly defend their strategic interests and distance themselves further from ECOWAS.Source: Burkina Information Agency