Sahel military chiefs mark divorce from West Africa bloc (2)

The military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso hold a summit to mark their divorce from the rest of West Africa as they sign a treaty setting up a new confederation between them.

The three countries all pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) earlier this year.The "Confederation of Sahel States", which will use the acronym AES and be headed by Mali in its first year, will group some 72 million people.