African Union, Sahel States Take Steps to Rebuild Relations

By Staff, Agencies

The foreign ministers of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have held talks with the African Union on renewing cooperation, including joint efforts to combat terrorism in their countries. 

The three West African states were suspended from the continental body following military coups that ousted their civilian governments.

The discussions between the Alliance of Sahel States [AES] ministers and AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.

“The meeting allowed both parties to discuss prospects for cooperation between the African Union and the AES, after a period marked by misunderstandings and a lack of dialogue and communication,” the AES said in a press release on Tuesday.

According to the statement, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop and his counterparts, Niger’s Bakary Yaou Sangare and Burkina Faso’s Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, urged the AU to base its decisions on the “realities” of the Sahel region rather than “relying solely on abstract principles.”

They welcomed a new AU initiative to send fact-finding missions to their countries, saying it would help correct the “unfounded” narratives spread by “people who are not in contact” with the governments of a region plagued by deadly jihadist insurgencies.

“We cannot talk about terrorism without the AES countries; even if suspended, we must not talk about us without us,” Burkinabe Foreign Minister Traore stated.

The three Sahel states formed the AES after quitting the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS], accusing it of neglecting their anti-jihadist fight and favoring French interests over their sovereignty.

On Monday, officials from the former French colonies claimed terrorism persists due to backing from “certain powers,” renewing accusations against France and Ukraine for supporting rebel groups.

In response, the AU Commission chair acknowledged the ministers’ concerns and pledged to “ensure that any isolation of the AES states [is] avoided” during his mandate.