Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) : Country Withdrawal
The West African nations of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have officially withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).The three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States, seeking military support from Russia and distancing themselves from the US and France.The Sahel is a semiarid region (western and north-central Africa), a transitional zone between the Sahara desert (north) and humid savannas (south).ECOWAS is a regional group of 15 West African countries (before withdrawal), founded in 1975 with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos (Nigeria).It is headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria and aims to promote economic integration and shared development of the West African sub-region.