The countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic on Thursday announced moves to form a confederation – a country of semi-independent states.
The three former Sahel colonies of France jettisoned their membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2024 in a move that is significantly altering the geopolitical landscape of West Africa and deeming hopes of regional integration of the subregion.
Earlier the countries were suspended from ECOWAS following the military overthrow of their democratic governments.
The foreign ministers of the three countries met in Ouagadougou on Thursday. Burkinabe Defence Minister General Kassoum Coulibaly, said the meeting was the initial step to discuss the “instruments, mechanisms, and procedures” and the “legal architecture for the confederation”, while his Niger counterpart General Salifou Modi said the agreements will “allow our alliance and the confederation to function efficiently and to the great joy” of the three countries.
In mid-September last year, the military Heads of State of the trio signed a mutual defence pact, now known as The Liptako-Gourma Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
This development points to fundamental shifts in the balance of power in the subregion and her relations with major global powers after they all severed ties with France and warmed up to Russia.
The splitting of ECOWAS also can potentially complicate the coordinated response to terrorist and insurgent menace posed by groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS in the subregion.
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