Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced they are withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. All three countries are led by military governments following coups in recent years. The nations released a joint statement, accusing the 15-country bloc of being “under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles” and “becoming a threat to its member states and its population.” Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have expelled the military of their former colonizer France, and were already suspended by ECOWAS in the wake of the military takeovers.