The West African bloc ECOWAS says the region is facing “disintegration” after three military-ruled countries established their own bloc over the weekend. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — which all experienced military takeovers in recent years — have formed the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES, holding their own weekend meetings as a counterpoint to the ECOWAS summit in Abuja, Nigeria. This comes amid further moves to cut military and other ties with former colonizer France and other Western powers. On Sunday, the U.S. military withdrew from Niger’s air base in the capital Niamey ahead of its upcoming withdrawal from a $110 million U.S. drone base. Niger ordered U.S. troops to depart the country in March.