Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso resume dialogue with ECOWAS regional bloc

Three Sahel states, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, now known as AES Alliance, have restarted talks with the regional ECOWAS bloc that they left at the start of 2025. The hope is that they'll be able to build closer ties after years of tension. Our regional correspondent, Harold Girard, tells us about it. The free movement of goods and people was a key issue in the talks between the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS and AES. the new Sahel Union formed by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger after they quit the older alliance at the beginning of last year. Reportedly, negotiators have not agreed on any additional tariffs or visa requirements between the two sides. However, people across both blocs still wait on political tensions to ease. The dispute is making daily life harder for millions, especially within the AES countries. The first objective is to reach an agreement, because a product cannot come out of Benin and cross to go to a neighbouring territory, like, for example, Niger. Niger is an enclave country, and all its imports go through Benin, which has an opening to the sea. In my opinion, yes, they must agree. It's a matter of security. Beyond trade, the main issue is security. A return to a closed military cooperation between AES and ECOWAS countries appears unlikely anytime soon. But both sides say they want to reach a balanced security agreement, an emergency for Sahelian population and people living in northern parts of countries such as Togo, Benin or Ivory Coast, as terrorist groups have never been more active in the region. That breakdown for us by Harold Girard.