 and the region is home to some of the world's fastest-growing economies. Now, three of those members, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, have announced they are leaving the bloc to form a rival group. All had been suspended following military coups. Damcian Chichibadja is the vice-president of the ECOWASC Commission, and she admitted to the BBC that sanctions placed on the three countries may have led to the split.