Sahel Alliance leaders meet in Bamako to deepen break with ECOWAS

The Alliance of Sahel States is taking its next steps toward regional autonomy, with the military leaders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso holding high-level talks in Bamako.

The second edition of the AES summit aims to strengthen cooperation within the alliance and reduce reliance on the West African regional bloc ECOWAS.

It focuses on defence and security, development, communication and counterterrorism efforts across the three states.

President of Mali Assimi Goïta and Niger’s President Abdourahamane Tchiani met on the tarmac of Bamako’s airport on Monday before heading to the presidential palace. Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traoré joined the summit on Tuesday morning after an unexpected delay.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formed an alliance in 2023 and withdrew from ECOWAS last year.

These moves followed fallout between all three countries and most of their Western partners after military coups.

Ahead of the summit, the three states officially announced the creation of a joint military force to fight terrorism in the region.

On Tuesday, Goïta, Tchiani and Traoré also launched the Alliance of Sahel States TV broadcaster. The station has been described as a means to counter disinformation and promote the bloc's interests.

After Goïta was appointed president of the alliance at last year’s summit, a new head of the AES is expected to be named in Bamako this week.

ECOWAS has indicated that it remains open to allowing Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to continue benefiting from certain bloc privileges, including trade, despite their withdrawal.

But the three junta-led countries have taken steps to assert autonomy by introducing their own travel documents for citizens.

The three countries are still members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which guarantees continued trade and free movement of goods among its eight members, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, and Benin.