The leaders of Burkina, Mali, and Niger accused France and "a handful of heads of state" within ECOWAS of seeking to "destabilize" the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), according to a joint statement.
The countries highlighted operations to reorganize terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin, in the Sahel and in certain border areas. According to the AES, these terrorists receive financial support and logistical means from foreign states.
In this context, the region is declared "a single theater of military operations," while the defense and security forces are now on maximum alert.
The leaders of the AES call on the populations to "redouble their vigilance" and to "reject proposals for enrollment in terrorist groups."
Earlier, in July, the prime minister of Burkina Faso declared that his country had exited ECOWAS because of the bloc's neocolonialist perspectives, as reported by his office. He added that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger existed prior to the establishment of ECOWAS and are capable of continuing without it.