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West Africa Regional Bloc Approves Exit Timeline for 3 Coup-hit Member States

President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) Omar Touray (L), Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo (C), and Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yussuf Tuggar (R) pose for a photograph at the ECOWAS 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government in Abuja on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) Omar Touray (L), Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo (C), and Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yussuf Tuggar (R) pose for a photograph at the ECOWAS 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government in Abuja on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
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West Africa Regional Bloc Approves Exit Timeline for 3 Coup-hit Member States

President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) Omar Touray (L), Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo (C), and Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yussuf Tuggar (R) pose for a photograph at the ECOWAS 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government in Abuja on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) Omar Touray (L), Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo (C), and Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yussuf Tuggar (R) pose for a photograph at the ECOWAS 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government in Abuja on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)

West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS approved Sunday an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping.
In a first in the 15-nation bloc’s nearly 50 years of existence, the military juntas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced in January that they decided to leave ECOWAS, accusing it of “inhumane and irresponsible” coup-related sanctions and of failing to help them solve their internal security crises.
“The authority decides to set the period from 29 January, 2025 to 29 July 2025 as a transitional period and to keep ECOWAS doors open to the three countries during the transition period,” ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray said in his closing remarks Sunday at the summit of regional heads of state in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
The three coup-hit countries have largely rebuffed ECOWAS’ efforts to reverse their withdrawal, The Associated Press reported. They have started to consider how to issue travel documents separately from ECOWAS and are forming their own alliance. The one-year notice for their departure is expected to be completed in January.
Touray commended efforts by the bloc's envoys to resolve the crisis. “These efforts underscore your collective commitment to preserving peace and unity in our region,” he said.
Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and chairman of ECOWAS, said the challenges faced around the world and in the region test its ability to work together. “We must not lose sight of our fundamental responsibility, which is to protect our citizens and create an enabling environment where they can prosper,” he said.
One major benefit of being a member of ECOWAS is visa-free movement to member states, and it is not clear how that could change after the three countries leave the bloc. Asked about such an implication in July, the ECOWAS commission president said: “When you get out of an agreement ... if it is about free trade, free movement of people, the risk of losing those concessions remains.”
On Saturday, the three countries said in a joint statement that while access to their territories would remain visa-free for other West African citizens, they “reserve the right ... to refuse entry to any ECOWAS national falling into the category of inadmissible immigrants.”

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World

A 60-Day Deadline Could Pressure Trump on Ending the Iran War

US Air Force personnel perform maintenance on bomber at UK's RAF Fairford (EPA)
US Air Force personnel perform maintenance on bomber at UK's RAF Fairford (EPA)
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A 60-Day Deadline Could Pressure Trump on Ending the Iran War

US Air Force personnel perform maintenance on bomber at UK's RAF Fairford (EPA)
US Air Force personnel perform maintenance on bomber at UK's RAF Fairford (EPA)

Washington - Robert Jimison

Over nearly eight weeks of war in Iran, Republicans in Congress have turned back repeated efforts by Democrats to halt the operation and force US President Donald Trump, who began the conflict without congressional authorization, to consult with lawmakers on the military campaign.

But some Republicans have signaled that a key statutory deadline in the coming weeks could be an inflection point when they will expect the president to either wind down the conflict or seek congressional approval to continue it.

Democrats have tried and failed several times to invoke a provision of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a law aimed at curbing a president’s ability to wage war without congressional approval, to challenge the conflict in Iran.

The latest defeat came on Wednesday, when Senate Republicans blocked such a measure for the fifth time since the war began.

Yet the law also establishes a set of deadlines, the first of which is coming on May 1, that could increase the pressure on the Trump administration in the coming days. Here is what the law says about how long a president can continue to direct US forces in a conflict without congressional approval.

The 60-Day Mark

When the United States began joint strikes with the Israeli air force on Feb. 28, the president said he was acting under his authority as commander in chief to protect US bases in the Middle East, and to “advance vital United States national interests.”

He said the action was taken in “collective self-defense of our regional allies, including Israel.”

Many Democrats disputed that justification and have continued to argue that Trump acted illegally.

White House officials and most Republicans on Capitol Hill say he is operating within the bounds of the war powers statute, which sets a 60-day clock for a president to remove American forces from hostilities without congressional authorization to use military force.

Although the war began at the end of February, Trump formally notified Congress of the operation on March 2, starting the 60-day period that ends on May 1.

Some Republicans have already signaled they will not support any extension beyond 60 days.

Senator John Curtis, Republican of Utah, wrote in an opinion essay earlier this month that he “will not support ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval.”

Other Republicans, including Representative Brian Mast of Florida, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that the president could lose significant support if the conflict continued into May.

Moments after Republicans just barely blocked a war powers resolution in the House last week, Mast said there could be “a different vote count after 60 days,” alluding to the May 1 deadline.

A 30-Day Extension

Under the statute, once the initial 60-day deadline passes, the president’s options for continuing a military campaign without congressional approval become limited.

At that point, Trump would effectively have three choices: seek congressional authorization to continue the campaign, begin winding down US involvement or give himself an extension.

The law allows a one-time, 30-day extension of the deployment if the president certifies in writing that additional time is necessary to facilitate the safe withdrawal of US forces, but it does not grant authority to continue waging an offensive campaign.

Congress Can Authorize the War

Lawmakers also have the option at any time of granting explicit permission for Trump to continue the operation by passing an authorization for the use of military force.

Such measures have become the primary way Congress approves military campaigns short of a formal declaration of war, something that has not been done since World War II.

While Republicans have largely united in blocking Democrats’ attempts to halt the war, it is unclear whether the same unity exists when it comes to affirmatively authorizing the conflict.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, has said she is working with a group of senators on a formal authorization for the use of military force against Iran, but has yet to introduce the resolution.

Congress has not voted in favor of using military force since 2002, when lawmakers authorized it against Iraq.

Murkowski was an early critic of the administration’s lack of transparency around the objectives, costs and timeline for the war, and said that her goal with an authorization vote would be to reassert congressional authority and require the administration to be held to firm parameters for the operation.

Why Trump Might Ignore the Deadlines

Administrations led by presidents of both parties have long argued that the Constitution gives broad authority to the commander in chief, meaning that the limits the war powers law places on the president are unconstitutional.

In 2011, President Barack Obama continued a military engagement in Libya beyond the 60-day mark, arguing that the law did not apply because “US operations do not involve sustained fighting or active exchanges of fire with hostile forces, nor do they involve US ground troops.”

Though that prompted bipartisan backlash at the time, some lawmakers anticipate that the Trump administration could make a similar argument about Iran.

During his first term, Trump similarly balked at the law in 2019 when he vetoed a bipartisan resolution both chambers had passed that sought to end American military involvement in Yemen’s civil war. He argued then that the measure was an “unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities.”

Still, ignoring the deadline could pose a political problem for Republicans, which so far has given the administration broad latitude to carry out the war without congressional involvement, including any formal oversight.

“Many Republicans are on record having set the 60-day mark as somehow legally important,” said Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who has been among the Democrats offering resolutions aimed at limiting the president’s ability to continue the war without congressional authorization. “So I do think it will be harder for Republicans to continue to look the other way once we are out of the 60 days.”

The New York Times

World

Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei 'Gravely Wounded' but 'Mentally Sharp'

A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei 'Gravely Wounded' but 'Mentally Sharp'

A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard in front of a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian military commanders during a rally to mark International Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 13 March 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was seriously wounded in the US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei but is mentally sharp, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

Citing several Iranian officials which it did not name, the Times said Mojtaba Khamenei had “at least for now” delegated decision-making to generals in the Revolutionary Guards army.

Khamenei has not appeared in public since succeeding his father and only issued written statements, creating speculation over his condition and if he is still alive, according to AFP.

Although Mojtaba Khamenei was “gravely wounded (in the February 28 airstrike), he is mentally sharp and engaged,” the NYT report said.

“One leg was operated on three times, and he is awaiting a prosthetic. He had surgery on one hand and is slowly regaining function. His face and lips have been burned severely, making it difficult for him to speak,” it cited the officials as saying, adding that “eventually, he will need plastic surgery.”

Access for security reasons is extremely limited to Khamenei, who remains in hiding, with only handwritten messages passed on, it said.

Guards commanders do not visit him but President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is also a heart surgeon, has been involved in his care, it said.

The report said the generals from the Guards viewed the war with the US and Israel “as a threat to the regime's survival” that has now been contained.

They have also been in charge of military strategy, including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

World

France, UK Eye 'Real Progress' in Hormuz Plan

Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)
Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)
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France, UK Eye 'Real Progress' in Hormuz Plan

Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)
Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey (R) and Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) Lieutenant General Nick Perry attend a 'Strait of Hormuz Military Planning Conference' at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, north-west London on April 23, 2026. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)

Britain and France Thursday voiced hope that military plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz were coming together and would succeed in restoring trade flows through the vital passage.

At a two-day meeting in London, military planners discussed the practicalities of a multinational mission led by the UK and France to protect navigation in the key waterway following a sustainable ceasefire, top defense officials said.

The aim is to form a "defensive, multinational mission that will strengthen the confidence of commercial shipping, and, if necessary, clear mines and protect vessels when the hostilities end", AFP quoted British defense minister John Healey as saying.

The British ministry said the meeting involved more than 44 countries from every continent.

Healey and French counterpart Catherine Vautrin said in a joint statement they were "confident that real progress can be made".

"International trade, energy, and economic stability for all our nations depend on freedom of navigation" in the strait, Healey told those attending.

He called for "practical military plans", saying "millions of people" were relying on a successful outcome from the meeting.

"We can't let them down," he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said more than a dozen countries have agreed to participate in the mission to free up navigation in Hormuz.

Iran said on Wednesday it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States continued to blockade Iranian ports.

While strikes around the region have mostly stopped since the start of a ceasefire, the US and Iran have continued to exert pressure around the trade route.

Before the war started on February 28, about a fifth of the world's oil was shipped through the Strait.