ECOWAS examines security implications of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger withdrawal The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has initiated a contingency plan to mitigate unforeseen consequences of the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The Commissioner, Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said this at the meeting of ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) on Tuesday in Abuja. Musah said the formal withdrawal of the three countries from the regional bloc on Jan. 29 required critical analysis of the security arrangement within West Africa and...