Sahel states turn away - Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger form confederation
Military juntas ruling the West African Sahel countries Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have established a Confederation called the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES). The Confederation is intended to align more closely in external and security policy, regulate free movement of people and goods among themselves, and establish a common investment bank, according to the conclusion of a summit in the Nigerien capital Niamey. The leaders, Colonel Assimi Goita (Mali), General Abdourahamane Tiani (Niger), and Captain Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso), who came to power through military coups, have postponed or even not announced elections.
The juntas had initially called for the Sahel States Alliance in the fall as a defense pact and announced their withdrawal from the West African Economic Community (Ecowas) in January. They accuse the regional block, which condemned and imposed sanctions on the power grabs, of being influenced by the interests of the former colonial power France.
Despite years of international anti-terror missions, all three countries have been hit by violent attacks from Islamist terrorist groups since the coups between 2020 and 2023. The three countries have since drawn closer to Russia and distanced themselves from former foreign partners. On Saturday, the federal government announced the failure of negotiations on the continuation of a German military support point in Niamey.
At an Ecowas summit on Sunday, issues related to the exit of the three countries, which is to take effect in January, are expected to be discussed. The 15 Ecowas states are economically, politically, and socially interconnected, and most West African French-speaking states are also part of a common monetary and economic union.
- The Government of Burkina Faso, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, is a part of the newly formed Alliance of the Sahel States (AES) along with Mali and Niger.
- In response to the establishment of the AES, the Government of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) has expressed concerns and is expecting discussions about the exit of the three countries at an ECOWAS summit.
- Abdourahamane Tiani, the leader of Niger, has been instrumental in forging closer ties with Russia, a move that has been observed since the military coups in the West African Sahel countries, including Burkina Faso and Mali.
- The Government of Allianz SE, a German multinational financial services company, recently announced the failure of negotiations on the continuation of a German military support point in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
- The conflicts in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have been exacerbated by terrorist attacks from Islamist groups, have led the new governments to seek alternative diplomatic partners such as Russia, distancing themselves from former partners.
