Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, grappling with recent coups, reaffirmed their exit from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS during a summit in Niamey, Niger on Saturday, further straining regional efforts to curb escalating violence.
Meeting for the first time since their withdrawal in January, the military leaders of the three nations accused ECOWAS of failing its mandate and pledged to strengthen their new alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
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Niger’s General Abdourahmane Tchiani criticized ECOWAS, calling it “a threat to our states,” and emphasized creating an AES “of the peoples,” free from external influences.
Their summit, aimed at building a sovereign community with agreements on security, economic, and social cooperation, precedes an ECOWAS meeting in Nigeria. Mali will hold the AES presidency for the year, while Burkina Faso will host the parliamentary summit.
