Former diplomats on Thursday warned that the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States could undermine regional stability, potentially escalating insurgency and extremism in the Sahel.

In response, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announced their exit last January and accused ECOWAS of failing to safeguard member states and of aligning too closely with foreign powers.

The ECOWAS bloc has offered some concessions to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger following their exit from the union ・ECOWAS granted concessions to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger following their exit from the union ・The bloc emphasized its open-door policy for continued engagement with the three countries ・ECOWAS instructed member states to recognize