Madar (Ouagadougou) - Mali's transitional president, General Assimi Goita, and Burkina Faso's president, Captain Ibrahim Traore, have instructed their foreign ministries to make arrangements for the 11th session of the Burkina-Mali Grand Joint Commission for Cooperation to be held in Ouagadougou, according to a joint communique published on Friday by the Burkinabe government after Goita's visit to Burkina Faso on Thursday 5 November 2026.
Traore, the current chair of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), welcomed his Malian counterpart at Ouagadougou international airport, a stop that followed Goita's visit to Niamey and his talks with Niger's leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani.
According to the communique, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further consolidating bilateral cooperation "in order to provide, together, adequate responses to common challenges, particularly the fight against terrorism", and to strengthening ties in sectors of shared interest.
The two presidents welcomed the hospitality and security enjoyed by their nationals living in the confederation. Traore thanked Mali for the "fraternal and warm welcome" given to Burkinabe nationals turned back from Guinea, days after thousands of people expelled from Guinea arrived at Kouremale.
The leaders praised what they called the "considerable progress" made by the AES in promoting the sovereignty of its three members in defence and security, diplomacy, development, health and education, and said their views converged on major continental and international issues.
At the end of the visit, Goita invited Traore to make an official visit to Mali. Traore accepted, with the date to be set through diplomatic channels, the communique said.
