The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) on Wednesday announced the formal exit of junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the bloc following their withdrawal last year.

Three countries under military rule have officially left West African regional bloc Ecowas, after more than a year of diplomatic tensions. The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a huge blow to Ecowas,

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.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso were to officially quit the West African bloc Ecowas Wednesday, severing ties after years of strained relations that have reshaped trade routes in the Sahel.

That is why the International Trade Centre (ITC), with the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has set up a SheTrades West Africa project to change mindsets, and therefore opportunities. This project is active in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and also incorporates the shea and cassava value chains.

France’s military withdrawals provide West African states with a long overdue opportunity to assert their sovereignty. But there’s a risk of authoritarianism and regime fragmentation.

The imminent withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS marks a historic shift in West African economics, forcing a dramatic reorganisation of traditional trade routes and potentially increasing costs for millions.

Earlier this month, soldiers swooped by helicopter into a vast mining complex in western Mali and made away with three tonnes of gold -- all done on the orders of the military government.

Niger’s defense minister says the junta-led West African countries of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have created a joint force that will soon be deployed in the restive Sahel region against rising extr

Pretoria’s foreign policy focus on multilateralism, development and reforming global governance will be seriously tested by geopolitical division.

Tuesday closed up +2 (+0.02), and March ICE London cocoa #7 (CAH25) closed down -11 (-0.12%). Cocoa prices on Tuesday recovered from 1-week lows and were little changed. Recent rains in West Africa eased dry conditions and are weighing on cocoa prices.