President John Mahama says the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) is regrettable.

He said "The recent decision by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS is a regrettable development."

He made these comments during the launch of the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS at the AICC in Ghna's capital, where he stated, “Diplomacy is about fostering mutual respect and advancing our common interests.”

President Mahama added that despite their withdrawal, a continuous dialogue must be initiated among the leaders of these countries.

These three countries under military rule have officially left ECOWAS, after more than a year of diplomatic tensions.

Relations between ECOWAS and the three countries have been tense since the military seized power in Niger in 2023, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.

After the Niger coup, ECOWAS imposed crippling sanctions on the country, such as border closures, a no-fly zone for all commercial flights and the freezing of central bank assets.