Ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic are forging ahead with plans to establish a confederation, as announced by the Malian foreign ministry on Thursday. The three countries are strengthening their ties through this alliance, a move that poses a challenge to broader West African integration efforts.
This development follows closely on the heels of the announcement in January 2024, where the neighboring nations in the impoverished Sahel region declared their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The bloc has since urged them to reconsider, highlighting the potential additional hardships associated with their withdrawal.
All three countries were founding members of ECOWAS in 1975 but were suspended due to military coups that ousted elected civilian governments. The recent talks in Ouagadougou, led by Burkina’s Defence Minister General Kassoum Coulibaly, focused on advancing the implementation of “instruments, mechanisms, and procedures” and establishing the “legal architecture for the confederation,” according to Reuters.
General Salifou Modi, Niger’s Defence Minister, expressed optimism that these procedures would enable the efficient functioning of the alliance and the confederation, bringing joy to the populations of the three countries.
In November of the previous year, finance ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger suggested the possibility of forming a monetary union. High-ranking officials from these countries have also expressed varying degrees of support for abandoning the West Africa CFA franc, a common currency.
Furthermore, the juntas in these countries have severed longstanding military ties with former colonial ruler France, marking a significant shift in the region. This move has not only impacted France’s influence in the Sahel but has also complicated international efforts to combat militants linked to groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State.
