The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, currently under military rule, have recommended the creation of a confederation as part of a broader objective to eventually unite the West African neighbors within a federation. The three nations, ruled by juntas that seized power in coups in 2020 and 2022, swiftly supported Niger’s military rulers when they ousted elected president Mohamed Bazoum in July, leading to the establishment of the Alliance of Sahel States.
The Alliance, designed to foster closer economic ties and mutual defense assistance in the face of threats to sovereignty or territorial integrity, has now become a platform for the foreign ministers to propose a confederation. In a joint statement following a two-day meeting in Mali’s capital, Bamako, the ministers highlighted the potential for peace, stability, diplomatic strength, and economic development through a strengthened political alliance.
“The ministers… guided by the ambition to ultimately achieve a federation uniting Burkina, Mali, and Niger recommend the creation of a confederation to the heads of state of the Alliance of Sahel States,” the statement affirmed. The conclusions will be submitted to the heads of state during their upcoming meeting in Bamako, the date of which is yet to be specified.
The military regimes in these nations have established close ties in the face of international pressure for a swift return to civilian rule and ongoing jihadist insurgencies. The recent Bamako meeting aimed to elaborate on the workings of the Alliance, with a focus on diplomacy, defense, and development to solidify political and economic integration.
Furthermore, the economy and finance ministers of these nations, in a separate development last month, recommended the creation of a stabilisation fund, an investment bank, and a committee to study the prospects of an economic and monetary union, demonstrating a commitment to broader regional cooperation.
