Niger's Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs Garba Hakimi officially declared at a ceremony that the country is free of onchocerciasis. With this landmark achievement, Niger becomes the first country in Africa to eradicate this disease,

The official departure from the West African body on Tuesday comes after Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali last year formed their own alliance, the Confederation of Sahel States.

Thousands of people rallied on Tuesday in Niger and Burkina Faso in support of the withdrawal of their countries from the Economic

Niger's president Mohamed Bazoum has spent 550 days as a hostage of the military junta in the capital, Niamey .

The three junta-led West African nations, who have come together to form the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) after their coups, formally left the Economic Community of West African States, after a year of diplomatic moves to avert their withdrawal.

Thousands of people rallied in junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali on Tuesday to back their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, due to take effect Wednesday.

The memberships of the three West African countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have been formally withdrawn from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), one year after the three junta-led nations jointly declared an intention to exit the regional bloc.

The three Sahelian countries teamed up to form a confederation called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as they exit ECOWAS Wednesday.

The military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have posed a major challenge to the bloc’s unity, refusing to heed its call for a transition to civilian rule.

Niamey, Bamako, and Ouagadougou have officially withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), marking a historic shift in regional politics. The three junta-led nations first announced their departure a year ago,

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) withdraws from ECOWAS and continues initiatives for independence, regional integration, and defensive cooperation.