In a huge blow to Ecowas, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are leaving to forge ahead with their own group.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will leave the Ecowas group in January but have six months to return.
The road could breathe new life into West Africa's regional bloc, Ecowas.
Kyiv's hand in aiding rebels in Mali against Russian mercenaries may scupper its Africa diplomacy.
A year on since the military took power in Niger, the BBC looks at the changes the junta has overseen.
The military leaders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso say they are leaving Ecowas and forming a new alliance.
Coups and broken promises test the cohesion of West Africa's regional bloc to breaking point.
It accuses the military rulers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger of not acting in good faith.
The three junta-led countries were suspended from the bloc amid calls to return to democratic rule.
