The Sahel nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have formally endorsed Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative, a strategic infrastructure project granting them access to global markets through Moroccan ports, amid regional isolation and growing economic strain.
The endorsement was announced during a high-level meeting in Rabat between the foreign ministers of the three landlocked countries—now united under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—and King Mohammed VI of Morocco. The initiative comes after the trio formally withdrew from ECOWAS in early 2024, citing political disagreements and opposition to sanctions imposed after successive military coups.
Launched by Morocco in November 2023, the Atlantic Initiative is aimed at boosting economic ties with sub-Saharan Africa by connecting Sahel countries to Morocco’s Atlantic ports via overland and possibly rail corridors. The project is expected to diversify trade routes, enhance energy and goods transport, and reduce dependence on routes through ECOWAS-aligned neighbors.
Morocco, a top investor in West Africa, sees this partnership as a geopolitical and economic opportunity, while the AES bloc views it as a lifeline to global markets amid deepening diplomatic rifts, especially with Algeria, which opposes Moroccan claims over Western Sahara and supports the Polisario Front. The Rabat meeting signals a significant realignment in West African geopolitics, as the AES bloc pursues alternative alliances and infrastructure to counter growing isolation from traditional regional frameworks.
