Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine has asked members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to join the Alliance for Sahel States (AES), which was recently established by three of the regional bloc’s military governments.
The minister made the request during an annual meeting of the board of governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, according to a quote posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Nigerien government.
“I can’t be too provocative, but I want to ask CEDEAO [ECOWAS in French] to join the AES. There are ECOWAS countries that would probably like to join the AES, because within the AES, it is the culture of sovereignty and dignity of the continent,” the Afrique sur 7 outlet quoted Zeine as saying.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger signed the AES charter in September, agreeing to help each other in the event of external aggression or internal threats to their sovereignty.
In January, the three former French colonies announced that they were immediately withdrawing from ECOWAS over “inhuman sanctions” imposed on them to pressure them into restoring democratic rule after coups deposed their civilian governments.
Ouagadougou, Bamako, and Niamey accused the West African political and economic bloc of posing a threat to their sovereignty by serving as a tool for foreign powers, particularly France, with whom they have severed military ties.
The 15-nation authority, which has been trying to convince the three military-led member states to reconsider their exit decision, announced in February that it was lifting economic and travel sanctions on Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso with immediate effect.
The bloc had previously described the withdrawal by the military leaders as an action that would undermine the freedom of their people.
On May 17, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo asked his Senegalese counterpart Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was on a regional tour following his inauguration, to assist in resolving disputes between ECOWAS and the three Sahel states.
Faye, who was elected in March, said on Thursday, during a visit to Bamako, Mali, that he would convince Mali’s interim president, Colonel Assimi Goita, to remain in ECOWAS.
“I spent a lot of time discussing it with the colonel... I understand the Malian position, which, although rigid, is not totally inflexible,” Africa’s youngest elected president told Malian state radio.