Months after exiting Ecowas, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger introduced a joint new passport to aid movement within the three countries.
They announced that the joint passport would replace the Ecowas traveling visa previously in use within their country.
“In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the alliance will be put into circulation with the aim of harmonizing travel documents in our common area,” Malian junta leader Col Assimi Goïta said in a televised address on Sunday evening.
The move raises concerns about travel restrictions for citizens of the three countries, who previously enjoyed visa-free movement within Ecowas.
Burkina Faso had earlier announced its decision to launch a new biometric passport without the Ecowas logo.
In July, the junta chiefs declared their intention to “irrevocably” leave Ecowas, seeking to build a community based on African values and free from foreign influence.
However, Ecowas warned that formalizing the breakaway group could lead to regional disintegration and increased insecurity.
The Sahel region has long battled jihadist violence, causing thousands of deaths and displacing millions.
To address these security challenges, the three countries formed the Sahel alliance last year to boost military cooperation and established a confederation in July to broaden their collaboration beyond security.
Tackling the insurgency is one of the reasons that the military leaders gave for the takeovers, although they have so far failed to quell the violence.
