Military leaders ruling Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger joined a new "confederation" on Saturday as the three countries signed a pact during their first summit in Niamey after severing ties with the existing West African bloc, reports UNN citing AFP.
The heads of the three countries, which came to power in coups in recent years, "decided to take a step forward towards greater integration among member states" and "adopted a treaty to create a confederation" between them, dubbed the Confederation of Sahel States, according to a statement issued at the end of Saturday's summit.