Abstract. The international military campaign to stabilize the Sahel region, launched in 2012, failed due to the military’s rise to power following a series of military coups in countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Consequently, in 2023, these countries united into a military bloc called the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS) to combat terrorism and separatism and to counter the threat of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Niger. Furthermore, in January 2024, the ASS member states announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS (ASS-EXIT). ECOWAS, for its part, attempted to rectify the situation by lifting the sanctions imposed on these states. As a result, the ASS-EXIT exit officially took place in January 2025.
In July 2024, despite efforts by ECOWAS to resolve the situation with the AGS countries, the latter strengthened their integration by creating the “Confederation of States of the Alliance of Sahel States” (CSS).
The purpose of this article is to examine the process of separation of the ASS member states from the regional organization (ECOWAS): from the ASS to the CSS and the prospect of creating a federal state. In this study, the author analyzes the common features of the ASS/CSS countries, their unification into the ASS, the creation of the CSS, and possible interaction with ECOWAS in the future. As a result of this study, the author concludes that the CSS is a new subject of international relations and international law. The CSS and/or each member state can join ECOWAS individually and/or collectively as a subject of international law to address common issues for the benefit of the economic well-being of the peoples of the region.

Keywords: Sahel, geopolitics, Alliance of Sahel States, Confederation of Sahel States, ECOWAS, Actor International Law, Federal Republic of Sahel States.