The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are seeking to expand their new partnership
The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have endorsed plans to create a federation uniting the three West African nations, all currently ruled by their militaries, with the goal of tackling common challenges.
The decision was announced in a joint statement published on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, following a two-day meeting in Mali’s capital, Bamako, focusing on plans to develop the new Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The military rulers of the three former French colonies signed the AES charter in September, agreeing to help each other in the event of external aggression or internal threats to their sovereignty. The states were previously members of the Paris-backed G5 Sahel agreement, along with Chad and Mauritania. The G5 accord has since fallen apart, following a series of military coups in the region.
The foreign ministers of the three Sahel nations held their first meeting from Thursday to Friday and agreed on “appropriate measures,” including protocols to implement the AES pact.
“The Ministers recommended encouraging the participation of elected representatives, women, young people and civil society in AES initiatives,” according to the joint statement.
They further stressed the importance of diplomacy and defense in expanding their political and economic integration.
Previously, the countries’ finance ministers proposed setting up a stabilization fund and investment bank for the AES, as well as a “committee tasked with furthering discussions on economic and monetary union issues.”