The military leaders ruling Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger entered a new "confederation" Saturday as the three nations signed a treaty during their first summit in Niamey, after having severed ties with an existing West African bloc.
The heads of the three countries, who took power through coups in recent years, "decided to take a step further towards greater integration between the member states" and "adopted a treaty establishing a confederation" between them, called "the Confederation of Sahel States", they said in a statement at the end of Saturday's summit.
