Mali, Niger & Burkina Faso Set to Introduce New Biometric Passports Follwing ECOWAS Exit

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Three West African countries, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are preparing to roll out new biometric passports as part of their withdrawal from the West African regional political and economic union, ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States).

Mali’s leader, Colonel Assimi Goïta, announced that the three countries will soon introduce a biometric passport for the newly-formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES). “In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the alliance will be put into circulation twith the aim of harmonising travel documents in our common area,” he said in a televised address on Sunday evening.

All three countries are currently governed by military juntas, which came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023. In January, they collectively announced their intention to leave ECOWAS, citing the influence of former colonial powers over the regional bloc.

This decision followed sanctions imposed by other West African nations to pressure the juntas into reinstating civilian rule. However, the alliance has resisted these demands, choosing instead to strengthen ties among themselves.

ECOWAS has urged the three nations to reconsider, warning that their withdrawal could weaken the bloc. ECOWAS Commission President, Oumar Touray, expressed concerns that this move could threaten the region’s free movement of people and the common market of 400 million citizens.