The military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso hold a conference, and mark their divorce from the rest of West Africa as they signed a treaty setting up a confederation between them. The "Confederation of Sahel States", which will use the acronym AES and be headed by Mali in its first year, will group some 72 million people. It was the first summit of the three countries, who all pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) earlier this year. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES