ECOWAS has resumed formal talks with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to develop a cooperation framework amid escalating insecurity across West Africa.
ECOWAS, AES States Resume Talks Amid Sahel Security Crisis
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reopened formal diplomatic talks with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, raising fresh questions about regional unity and security cooperation following the three countries’ withdrawal from the bloc.
The discussions, held in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday, marked a significant step towards rebuilding relations between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), despite persistent political disagreements and mounting security challenges across West Africa.
The three military-led countries officially withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025 after forming the AES, following escalating tensions with the regional organisation.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday evening, both sides welcomed the renewed engagement, pledging to pursue dialogue guided by fraternity, mutual respect and openness. They also reaffirmed the importance of good neighbourly relations and respect for national sovereignty.
The parties agreed to establish joint thematic working groups tasked with developing a framework cooperation agreement. Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Karamoko Traore, led the AES delegation, while Senegal’s Foreign Minister, Cheikh Niang, headed the ECOWAS team.
The renewed diplomatic engagement comes as armed groups continue to intensify attacks across the Sahel, with growing concerns that insecurity could spread further into coastal West African countries.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have battled jihadist insurgencies for more than a decade, with groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State exploiting weak state presence, porous borders and local grievances.
In Mali, coordinated attacks on April 25 targeted multiple locations, with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Azawad Liberation Front, a separatist movement, involved in the violence. Mali’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara, was killed during the attacks.
Burkina Faso and Niger have also faced sustained assaults on security forces and civilians, while the threat has increasingly extended towards northern Benin and Togo.
Nigeria, the region’s largest economy, is confronting its own overlapping security crises, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgencies, banditry and mass kidnappings.
With armed groups operating across national boundaries, strained relations between Nigeria and the AES countries threaten to complicate intelligence-sharing, border security and joint counterterrorism operations. Niger’s withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force in March 2025 further highlighted the challenges facing regional security cooperation.
Meanwhile, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have pursued an independent political and security path, distancing themselves from France while strengthening ties with Russia.
Their departure from ECOWAS has complicated efforts to coordinate responses to shared threats, despite the need for intelligence exchange, effective border controls and joint military operations.
Diplomatic tensions have also been fuelled by allegations from Sahelian leaders that neighbouring countries and foreign powers are supporting armed groups. Such claims remain contested and should not be treated as established facts without independently verifiable evidence.
It remains unclear whether the latest talks could eventually pave the way for the three countries to rejoin ECOWAS or whether both sides are seeking a separate framework for cooperation while maintaining their political distance.
The outcome could prove significant for West Africa, where governments face growing pressure to contain insurgencies, strengthen border security and restore effective regional coordination.
