Madar (Ouagadougou) - A confederal session of the Council of Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which groups Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, opened on Wednesday 11 November 2026 in Ouagadougou and runs on 11 and 12 November, ahead of the next session of the Confederation's College of Heads of State, according to Burkina Faso's state daily Sidwaya.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Burkina Faso's Minister of State for War and Patriotic Defence, Major General Célestin Simporé, who welcomed the delegations from Mali and Niger. The session aims to review implementation of the Confederation's Year II roadmap, finalised on 26 February 2026 in Ouagadougou, the newspaper reported.
Simporé called for consolidating the Confederation's gains around its three pillars of defence, diplomacy and development, saying the delegations' presence "bears witness to the vitality of our Alliance and our unwavering commitment to building, together, a sovereign and prosperous future for our hard-working peoples".
On defence, the minister stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of the three countries in the face of the terrorist threat, calling for harmonised tools, better pooling of intelligence and greater strategic autonomy.
On diplomacy, he highlighted member states' determination to defend their interests collectively on the international stage: "By carrying our ideals with one voice, we are redefining our partnerships and diversifying them strictly on the basis of our national and confederal interests." The development pillar, he said, aims to strengthen economic integration among member states, as security and diplomacy cannot thrive without inclusive, home-grown economic development.
Ministerial delegations are to review the activities carried out under the Year II roadmap and make recommendations on the next steps, with the conclusions to be recorded in a summary note on progress under each pillar, according to the same source.
