The West African bloc Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalised their breakaway union. The head of the Ecowas commission, President Omar Alieu Touray says the move is a major blow to the 50-year-old bloc and could have serious consequences if they do not reverse their decision. This comes after the military leaders of the three countries said on Saturday that they were "irrevocably" turning their backs on the 15-member Ecowas to form a confederation of their own states. The bloc has appointed Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to mediate the crisis. For a perspective on this and also why the three countries feel the need to cut ties, where is France and Russia in all of this?

Guest: Nixon Kathembo - African Affairs analyst and Channel Africa Producer