Burkina Faso issuing new passports without the emblem of the West African group

Burkina Faso has further indicated its intention to leave the regional alliance following the takeover by military authorities, by introducing new biometric passports devoid of the logo of the primary political and economic bloc in West Africa on the front.

Three adjacent republics, currently ruled by military juntas, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, collectively declared in January that they would withdraw from the 15-member Economic Community of West African republics. Since then, the organization has made efforts to convince the three to change their minds.

“Neither the ECOWAS logo nor any mention of ECOWAS are present on this passport. Burkina Faso has made the decision to leave this body since January, and this is only the reality of the step that Burkina Faso has already taken.”

Mahamadou Sana, the minister of security, told reporters during the unveiling on Tuesday.
The 400 million residents of the 50-year-old bloc would lose their freedom of movement and access to the common market if the three countries left, according to ECOWAS’s warning.

Their withdrawal coincides with their militaries fighting militants associated with the Islamic State and al Qaeda, whose insurgencies have caused instability in the central Sahel region of West Africa for the past ten years and pose a threat to coastal states.

Following a series of coups in 2020–2023, the three nations severed their long-standing diplomatic and military ties with Western powers in favor of closer ties with Russia. They also formed the Alliance of Sahel States, a three-way defense and cooperation pact.