OUAGADOUGOU — The longstanding discord between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Mali dates back to 2012, when disagreements arose over military intervention strategies during the Malian crisis. At that time, ECOWAS proposed deploying troops to southern Mali, while the Malian government sought support in the north, where fighting with pro-independence and Salafist groups was concentrated.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the Malian authorities and ECOWAS held divergent views on how to address the crisis. Diarra emphasized that while ECOWAS had a plan, the Malian military had its own strategy, which focused on addressing the immediate threats in the north.

Mali eventually turned to France, which launched Operation Serval in January 2013, overshadowing ECOWAS efforts. Subsequent initiatives such as the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) and the French-led Barkhane mission took precedence, relegating ECOWAS to a more marginal role. In recent years, ECOWAS has re-entered the scene by imposing heavy sanctions on Mali following political unrest, but the region’s populations have widely rejected these measures.