The military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, on Sunday, announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
The leaders of the three Sahel nations on Sunday issued a statement saying it was a “sovereign decision” to leave the ECOWAS “without delay”.
The three countries have been struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, with their attendant suspension from ECOWAS, with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions.
They have hardened their positions in recent months and joined forces in an “Alliance of Sahel States”.
A French military withdrawal from the Sahel — the region along the Sahara desert across Africa — has heightened concerns over the conflicts spreading southward to the Gulf of Guinea states of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Ivory Coast.