Sahel military chiefs form confederation, cement exit from West Africa bloc

Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani, right, salutes next to his Burkinabe counterpart Captain Ibrahim Traore left, upon his arrival in Niamey, July 5, 2024.

The military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso marked their divorce from the rest of West Africa Saturday as they signed a treaty setting up a confederation between them.