AES and ECOWAS finally sit down together in Dakar and sign a joint communiqué
After nearly two years of open tension, the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger) and ECOWAS held their first real negotiations on Saturday in Dakar. They ended the meeting by signing a joint communiqué and agreeing to start working on a formal cooperation framework.
The talks were co-chaired by Senegal’s foreign minister Cheikh Niang (who currently heads the ECOWAS Council of Ministers) and Burkina Faso’s foreign minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, speaking for the AES. Both sides described the atmosphere as open and respectful. Niang said the two delegations showed a clear willingness to move past their differences. Traoré confirmed that the AES is ready to work with ECOWAS, as long as the interests of West African people come first.
In the communiqué, they agreed that any future relationship should be based on good neighborliness, respect for each other’s sovereignty, and the well-being of ordinary people. They also decided to set up joint technical working groups whose job will be to prepare a proper framework agreement. The date and place of the next meeting will be decided later through diplomatic channels. Both sides thanked Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye for hosting them.
This is the first high-level contact between the two groups since Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger officially left ECOWAS in January 2025. No one is talking about the three countries rejoining the bloc. The focus is simply on finding a practical way to live side by side and cooperate on things that still matter to people on the ground.
The technical groups will now start their work. Nothing concrete has been agreed yet on free movement, trade, or security, but both sides have at least opened the door.