The formation of Sahel alliance by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger overshadows ECOWAS summit, set to open in Abuja.
![Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, left, and Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara](/https/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AP24055491977947-1720335905.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
The formation of Sahel alliance by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger overshadows ECOWAS summit, set to open in Abuja.
Move is latest sign the countries are moving away from traditional regional and Western allies following spate of coups.
Experts say ECOWAS’s tensions with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso could roll back years of regional diplomacy.
Country marks three days of national mourning after deadly ambush of security forces in rebellion-hit region.
Removal of Orano licence highlights tensions with France, with Russia said to be eyeing the major site.
The attack on June 11 was one of the deadliest suffered by the West African nation’s army.
Decision opens door for military government to prosecute democratically elected president for alleged ‘high treason’.
A report by the Norwegian Refugee Council says nine out of the 10 countries on the list are African.
Strengthening ties with Russia as it pulls back from Western allies, Niger has deemed US troops’ presence ‘illegal’.
Officials says Russians do not have access to US forces at Airbase 101 as Moscow’s troops deployed to a separate hanger.
US ‘touched a nerve’ in security dealings with Niger, opening door to ‘transactional’ Russia as Sahel violence spirals.
The US built a base in the desert city of Agadez at the cost of $100m for manned and unmanned surveillance flights.
Drug seizures, mainly of cocaine and cannabis resin, have soared in the region, according to a UN report.
In March, Niger suspended its military cooperation with the US after leaders severed ties with France last year.