Sahel Alliance: ministers confirm ECOWAS withdrawal at meeting

The defence and foreign affairs ministers from Mali and Niger arrived in Burkina Faso's capital on Thursday for a meeting between the three countries.

It comes just weeks after their withdrawal from regional bloc ECOWAS. The three members of the Alliance of Sahel States are now laying the steps to create a tri-state confederation.

Spokesman for the Alliance, Abdoulaye Maïga, said the three members had confirmed their joint commitment to withdraw from ECOWAS without delay and continue cooperation under the Alliance, which was formed last September.

Maïga also said that the ministers were meeting to prepare for the creation of the proposed confederation. 

"As you know, we are here in Ouagadougou as part of the preparations for the summit of Heads of State of the Sahel Alliance, which is due to take place soon," said Maïga. "Before our meeting, our experts from the three countries had time to exchange views on a number of documents, so it was only natural to come and report to his Excellency Captain Traoré, and then to benefit from his wise advice and recommendations to help realise the common vision of the three Heads of State, that is, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger".

The ministers also confirmed their joint commitment to withdraw from ECOWAS without delay and continue cooperation under the Alliance, formed last September. 

The decision at the end of January to leave the body was a heavy blow to the Western African bloc. 

The three states said they were exiting with immediate effect due to "illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible" sanctions imposed on them by ECOWAS.

The bloc had imposed sanctions on the Sahelian countries following coups there.