At an Oct. 17 meeting in Dakar, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and former members Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso agreed to establish joint working groups to pursue a cooperation agreement.
A joint communiqué from the ministerial meeting in Dakar, Senegal, calls for thematic working groups involving ECOWAS and the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which represents the three countries. The groups will hold technical discussions. No framework agreement has been completed.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formally left ECOWAS on Jan. 29, 2025, leaving questions about how people and goods would move across borders. The Dakar meeting followed consultations in Bamako on May 22, 2025, where the organizations said future relations should respect sovereignty and consider the welfare of West Africans.
Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye identified movement of people and goods, security and terrorism as issues requiring regional cooperation. Nigeria’s foreign ministry said it was taking steps to revive Joint Commissions with the three countries.
The African Union Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL) offered to facilitate further meetings and support the working groups. Mamadou Tangara, the African Union Commission chairperson’s high representative for Mali and the Sahel, urged cooperation that improves daily life in border communities, the mission said.
Ministers will review the groups’ findings before another session. Its date and venue will be set through diplomatic consultations, the communiqué said.
