Germany To Leave Niger After France, US As Sahel Junta Forms Alliance To Rebuff West African Bloc

The military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso signed a treaty on July 6 setting up a confederation between them. The treaty aims at strengthening a mutual defence pact named Alliance of Sahel States announced last year by the three countries. Niger’s Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, Burkina Faso’s Capt Ibrahim Traore, and Mali’s Col Assimi Goita - all three of whom came to power in successive coups - led the talks. The three military leaders have hailed the treaty as a step “towards greater integration”. The AES was signed just months after the three countries withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January. The three leaders, who met just a day before ECOWAS was set to have a meeting in Nigeria, have regularly accused ex-ruler France of meddling in the bloc. By holding a summit right ahead of the West African group’s meeting, have the junta leaders made clear that they won’t become part of the larger bloc again? What does this mean for insurgency-hit Sahel region? Watc