The United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa, Leonardo Santos Simão, has called for the establishment of a cooperation framework between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This call for dialogue was made during a meeting on Friday in Bamako with Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga.
Simão emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation between the two regional blocs to ensure long-term stability, peace, and economic integration across West Africa, particularly in the Sahel region, which has been heavily affected by security and humanitarian crises.
This UN appeal comes as the AES, which includes Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, continues to assert its political and economic independence from ECOWAS. The AES member states previously announced in December that their borders would remain open to ECOWAS nationals while preserving the right to deny entry to individuals deemed undesirable. However, this move is seen as a direct challenge to ECOWAS’s regional unity and stability.
The three AES countries left ECOWAS, accusing the bloc of being heavily influenced by France and failing to address the mounting security issues in the Sahel region, where insurgencies linked to groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS have worsened the humanitarian crisis. ECOWAS, meanwhile, continues to advocate for the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights, particularly the free movement of people and goods across its member states.
Both ECOWAS and the AES are faced with the challenge of balancing national sovereignty with the need for regional cooperation to address the complex issues of security, governance, and economic integration. The UN’s call for dialogue aims to prevent further fragmentation and promote a unified response to the challenges facing the Sahel region.
In recent years, tensions between ECOWAS and the AES have escalated, with military coups in all three AES states leading to the suspension of their membership in ECOWAS. The military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have been seeking greater autonomy, including pursuing closer relations with countries like Russia, as they express frustration with Western-led security strategies.
Despite the tension, the UN and ECOWAS continue to push for dialogue and regional cooperation to avoid further destabilization, stressing that the collective goal should be to ensure peace, stability, and sustainable development for all West African nations.
