On July 6, 2024, the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a treaty called the “Confederation of Sahel States” in Niamey, cementing their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The main purpose of the pact is to promote cooperation in areas of common interest, such as defence and trade. ECOWAS falloutThe governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger were ousted in military coups in 2020, 2022 and 2023 respectively. In turn, ECOWAS suspended each of the new regimes from the regional bloc and imposed strict sanctions on Niger and Mali (archived here). Using a keyword search in French, AFP Fact Check found a copy of the AES charter published by RTB, a state broadcaster in Burkina Faso (archived here).

Source: Ethiopian News July 17, 2024 09:53 UTC