The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) withdraws from ECOWAS and continues initiatives for independence, regional integration, and defensive cooperation.

The withdrawal of three Sahelian countries from the West African trade organization, set to take effect on 29 January, has raised significant concerns among the diaspora. On 11 January, members of the diaspora gathered in Paris to call for a reversal of the decision and advocate for a return to civilian governance.

A source who asked for anonymity said Emptech is not involved in the production of the new passport for the three Sahel states.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formally withdrawn from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body said Wednesday.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have officially left West Africa’s main political and trade group ECOWAS after more than a year of diplomatic tension.

Three countries under military rule have officially left West African regional bloc Ecowas, after more than a year of diplomatic tensions. The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a huge blow to Ecowas, which at 50 years old is considered Africa's most important regional group.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso were to officially quit the West African bloc Ecowas Wednesday, severing ties after years of strained relations that have reshaped trade routes in the Sahel.

The exit of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso was the culmination of a year-long process during which the regional bloc tried to avert their departure.

"The rise of junta rule in the Sahel represents a complex interplay between decolonization and destabilization."

A joint force of 5,000 troops from military-led neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali will soon deploy in their troubled central Sahel region, Niger's defence chief said on state television.

The Sahel, a semiarid region in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, has long been a focal point and an environmental issue .

Together with its partner, Réseau d'Initiatives de Journalists in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and with funding from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the project "Appui aux médias pour la prévention- media for conflict prevention and management in Burkina Faso,