The military-led governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have announced their intention to establish a confederation aimed at strengthening their ties following their withdrawal from the regional bloc.
According to a statement from the Malian foreign ministry on Thursday, the three nations plan to create the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
In January, the three neighboring countries in the Sahel region announced their decision to exit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), despite opposition from the bloc. Reuters reported that the three countries’ ministers, during a meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, confirmed their joint commitment to swiftly leave ECOWAS.
They “reaffirmed their determination to move forward decisively in establishing the AES and forming the Tri-State Confederation,” stated the Malian foreign ministry in an online announcement.
Details regarding the operation and alignment of political, economic, and security interests within the proposed confederation have not been disclosed.
One of the challenges facing the three countries is their struggle to combat an epidemic of Islamist insurgency that has destabilized the subregion.
In November 2023, their finance ministers discussed the possibility of establishing a monetary union, and officials from all three countries have expressed varying degrees of support for abandoning the West African CFA franc common currency.
The military regimes in these countries have severed longstanding military ties with former colonial ruler France, weakening France’s influence in the Sahel and complicating international efforts to combat militants associated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Nigerian leader and ECOWAS Chairman, President Bola Tinubu, has faced challenges in restoring democratic governance in the three countries, with his efforts encountering opposition.
Tinubu dispatched delegations, including former military leader Abdulsalam Abubakar and Benin Republic President Patrice Talon, to Niger following the recent military takeover. On July 26, 2023, a coup d’état occurred in Niger, resulting in the detention of President Mohamed Bazoum and the proclamation of General Abdourahamane Tchiani as the leader of a new military junta.
Prior to Niger’s coup, Burkina Faso experienced a military takeover on September 30, 2022, when Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was removed due to his alleged inability to address the country’s Islamist insurgency. Damiba had assumed power in a coup eight months earlier before Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed the role of interim leader. In 2021, Mali witnessed a coup d’état initiated by the Malian Army, led by Vice President Assimi Goïta, resulting in the capture of President Bah N’daw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, and Minister of Defense Souleymane Doucouré. Goita has remained in power since then.