The three junta-led West African nations withdrawal is the culmination of a yearlong process during which the grouping tried to avert its unprecedented disintegration.

Thousands of people rallied Tuesday in Niger and Burkina Faso in support of the withdrawal of their countries from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, which is due to take effect today.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger on Wednesday formally withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc. The military-led governments in the three West African nations decided to withdraw from the bloc, and formed their own security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States, in September 2023.