THP the Sahelian confederation to ECOWAS involvement in the Sahel.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries of West Africa. On 6 July 2024, the military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso signed a new pact to form a confederation, a political union of sovereign states. The confederation's stated goal is to provide mutual defense, pool resources to build energy and communications infrastructure, establish a common market, implement a monetary union under proposed currency the Sahel, allow free movement of persons, enable industrialization, and invest in agriculture, mines and energy sectors, with the end goal of federalizing into a single sovereign state. The move is seen as a strong move away from ECOWAS, which has been pressing for a return to civilian rule via free and fair elections and the dissolution of military juntas.