More African states quit French union

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger claim the International Organization of Francophone Nations is a tool for “political manipulation”

Burkina Faso and Mali have withdrawn from the International Organization of Francophone Nations (OIF), following the example of their West African neighbor Niger, which had earlier announced its departure from the Paris-based group.

The Burkinabe government claimed that the OIF has deviated from its original mission of promoting cultural and technical cooperation and had become a biased tool of “political manipulation,” according to an official statement dated Tuesday, state-owned broadcaster AIB reported on Wednesday.

“Burkina Faso cannot continue its cooperation with an institution that no longer meets its legitimate expectations in terms of justice, equality, and fairness,” it read.

Earlier this week, Niamey said it “has independently decided to withdraw Niger from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie,” without stating the rationale for the move. The Sahel country had previously suspended all cooperation with the OIF following its July 2023 coup, accusing it of being a political tool for defending French interests.

Late on Tuesday, Mali, which currently holds the presidency of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – a new group formed by Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey – issued a statement announcing the decision to withdraw the “member states of the AES confederation” from the Francophone union.

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The OIF’s proclaimed mission is to promote the French language, support peace and democracy, and foster education and development in Francophone countries worldwide, many of which were once French colonies.

The Permanent Council of the 88-member grouping suspended Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger following military coups in the three former French colonies, which were among the first members of the OIF when it was founded in Niamey on March 20, 1970.

“Since the advent of the transition in Mali, Burkina Faso, and then Niger, the OIF … has distinguished itself in the selective application of sanctions … and disregard for their sovereignty,” according to a joint statement released by Mali’s foreign ministry.

The transitional leaders of the three Sahel states have decided to leave the group as part of efforts to defend the “legitimate interests” of their countries, the ministry added.

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Relations between Bamako, Niamey, Ouagadougou and Paris have deteriorated in the aftermath of the military takeovers. The three military governments have all terminated defense cooperation with Paris over allegations of meddling and the failure by French forces to put down a deadly jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region. The AES states have also withdrawn from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS after claiming it poses a threat to their sovereignty by serving as a tool for foreign powers, particularly France.

IOF spokeswoman Oria Vande Weghe told French public broadcaster TV5 Monde on Monday evening that the exit of the AES states is regrettable but must be respected. “The OIF considers itself to be collateral damage in a geopolitical situation that is beyond its control,” Le Monde also quoted Weghe as saying.