West African leaders have appointed former Guinean Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté as chief mediator to re-establish dialogue with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso following their withdrawal from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2025. Kouyaté, a seasoned diplomat and former ECOWAS executive secretary, confirmed his role as “chief negotiator” with the three junta-led nations, which have since formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The countries, governed by military regimes that took power between 2020 and 2023, have increasingly distanced themselves from ECOWAS and strengthened ties with Russia while criticizing relations between coastal West African states and France.
Officials say Kouyaté’s appointment aims to ease regional fragmentation and restore cooperation on trade, security, and free movement. Previous mediation attempts led by Bassirou Diomaye Faye in 2024 and John Dramani Mahama in 2025 failed to convince the juntas to rejoin the bloc. The diplomatic push comes as all three Sahel nations continue to battle jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, underscoring the urgency of regional coordination on security.
