As of January, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, members of the Alliance of the States of Sahel (AES) , have officially left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and have introduced a new passport. However, holders of the new travel document in Mali have reportedly been unable to obtain visas for European countries. Administrative delay Two different European consulates in Bamako, when questioned separately by Radio France International , explained the reasons for the refusal.