The first summit of the leaders of the Tri-Sahel Alliance, which includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, kicked off Saturday in Niamey, discussing coordinating efforts to confront common security challenges. This summit comes months after the establishment of this coalition, following the withdrawal of the three countries from the Group of Five Sahel countries and from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Nigerien TV announced today "the launch of the summit with the participation of General Abdourahmane Tchiani (Niger), Colonel Assimi Goita (Mali), and Captain Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso). It is the first practical tripartite meeting since the announcement of the establishment of the coalition in mid-September. It said that these three countries face the threat of growing activity of terrorist groups in addition to development problems, while they share the same views about expelling French forces from their territories and allying with Russia instead. The three countries headed by tr ansitional military councils announced in mid-September the establishment of the Sahel States Alliance, which aims to strengthen economic ties and provide support if the territorial integrity of one of the countries is threatened. Niger and Burkina Faso decided at the end of last November to withdraw from the Group of Five Sahel countries, while Mali announced its withdrawal from the same group in mid-May 2022. The three Sahel countries also announced at the beginning of the year their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) due to what they considered "this organization's deviation from the basic objectives for which it was established. Source: Kuwait News Agency