Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left ECOWAS for Sahel alliance

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on January 29, 2025. The three have deepened cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The split creates parallel interlocutors for diplomacy, with UN engagement now spanning ECOWAS and AES capitals.