Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Africa’s youngest president at 44, is now confronted with the significant task of reuniting a fractured regional bloc that predates his birth. On Sunday, Faye was entrusted with the responsibility of reintegrating military-ruled Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso back into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during the organization’s summit in Abuja, Nigeria. These three nations had departed from ECOWAS and formed their own alliance following military coups that disrupted their relations with neighboring West African countries.
Supported by Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, Faye is viewed as the ideal leader to mediate the return of these nations to regional cooperation.
Afolabi Adekaiyaoja, a research analyst at the Center for Democracy and Development, highlighted that ECOWAS’s influence has diminished in recent years. However, he noted that Faye’s new role presents an opportunity to advocate for reforms aimed at creating “a more sustainable and self-reliant ECOWAS.”
Faye’s election this year, which was deemed credible, stands in stark contrast to the rigged elections in other parts of the region. He was not yet in office when ECOWAS, established in 1975, imposed severe sanctions on Niger following a coup in July, sanctions which contributed to Niger’s decision to exit the bloc.
Domestically, Faye is reassessing old alliances that junta leaders claim have hindered West Africa’s development. Despite Senegal’s strong ties with the West, the country is renegotiating contracts with foreign operators to reduce dependency. Finance Minister Abdourahmane Sarr stated that the goal is to “free us from the ties of dependency in our public policies.”
Analysts suggest this stance resonates with the junta leaders who have severed military and economic ties with traditional Western partners like the United States and France, and have allowed Russia to increase its influence in the region.
“Like other heads of state, he claims sovereignty and a break with the old order,” said Seidik Abba, a Sahel specialist and president of the International Center for Reflection and Studies.
Despite being Africa’s youngest president, Faye is older than three of the region’s four current military leaders. At the ECOWAS meeting, he was still one of the youngest leaders, with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, aged 80, sitting across from him.
During a visit to Nigeria in May, Faye presented his age as an “asset” that could foster dialogue with neighboring countries. However, Mr. Abba cautioned that Faye’s mission to engage with the three countries would be challenging, as they have broader concerns about ECOWAS’s operations and interference from foreign powers like France.
The success of Faye and the Togolese president in their roles as envoys will depend on “how well different leaders can coordinate and agree” on the issues, according to Adekaiyaoja from the Center for Democracy and Development.
