Burkina Faso has issued a new biometric passport without the logo of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This move comes after Burkina Faso, along with Niger and Mali, severed ties with ECOWAS following sanctions imposed on them due to military coups.
ECOWAS had also warned that the three countries’ withdrawal would undermine the freedom of movement and common market of the 400 million people living in the 50-year-old bloc.
The new passports, announced by Burkinabe Security Minister, Mahamadou Sana on Tuesday, no longer feature the ECOWAS logo or mention the organisation.
Sana said the change is a realisation of Burkina Faso’s decision to withdraw from ECOWAS, which was made in January.
“On this passport, there’s no ECOWAS logo, and no mention of ECOWAS either. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso,” Sana told reporters at the launch on Tuesday.
