Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Finalise Plans to Form Confederation After Quitting ECOWAS

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have finalized plans to establish the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) after severing ties with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and distancing themselves from their former colonial ruler, France.

The foreign ministers of the three military-run nations convened in Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Friday to formalize the confederation. The meeting concluded with an agreement on a draft text for the institutionalization and operationalization of the AES.

Niger’s Foreign Minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare, announced the successful conclusion of the talks, highlighting the progress made towards the formation of the new alliance. “The objective was to finalize the draft text relating to the institutionalization and operationalization of the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES),” Sangare stated in a press release.

This draft text is expected to be adopted by the heads of state of the three countries at an upcoming summit, the date of which has not yet been disclosed, according to a report from Barron’s.

Following a meeting with General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of Niger’s military regime, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop declared the official birth of the AES. “We can consider very clearly, today, that the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has been born,” Diop affirmed.

Also present at the meeting was Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore.

The Sahel region has long been plagued by deadly jihadist violence, which the three nations accused France of failing to curb effectively. This dissatisfaction led to their withdrawal from ECOWAS in late January, citing the regional bloc’s perceived influence by France and their intention to form a new regional grouping.