Madar (Dakar) - The first formal talks between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) opened in Dakar on Saturday, October 17, 2026, since Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from the bloc on January 28, 2024, according to RFI.
According to the same source, the two sides decided to open discussions on the terms of future cooperation, covering security cooperation, particularly counter-terrorism, the free movement of people and goods, and economic, social and legal development.
Burkina Faso's foreign minister, Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, said the talks were not about the three countries returning to ECOWAS but about "opening a page to formalise new relations" between the Confederation of Sahel States and the bloc. Mali's foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, stressed an "open, constructive and responsible spirit on the part of the AES".
Meeting in Ouagadougou on Friday to align the three countries' positions, the Confederation's ministerial steering committee said in its final communique that it was entering the negotiations "in good faith" and seeking a "pragmatic, balanced and mutually beneficial" partnership with ECOWAS, based on the equality of the parties, recognition of the Confederation's legal and institutional personality, preservation of regional integration gains and protection of West African populations' interests.
ECOWAS has not yet issued an official statement on the opening of the talks, scheduled for October 17 and 18.
