2024-07-08 01:31:00
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African countries led by the military, have signed a “confederation” treaty in Niamey, a development that underscores their determination to chart a common course outside the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is urging them to return to democratic rule.
Al Jazeera Net reported that the agreement was signed at the first summit of the Sahel Alliance, and it indicates a closer alliance between neighboring countries in the middle of the Sahel region, which has been torn apart by rebellion.
Military councils in the three countries seized power in a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, and severed military and diplomatic ties with regional allies and Western powers.
Niger’s military commander, General Abdourahmane Tiani, described the Sahel Alliance summit as “the culmination of our firm common will to restore our national sovereignty.”
Tiani stressed to his counterparts in Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, and in Mali, Colonel Assimi Goita, that the peoples of their three countries had finally turned their backs on ECOWAS.
Last March, the three countries agreed to form a joint force to confront security threats across their territories.
In a statement issued after the summit, the countries said they agreed to coordinate diplomatic actions, create an investment bank and a stabilization fund for the Sahel alliance and pool their resources to set up projects in strategic sectors including mining, energy and agriculture.
The statement said that the heads of state welcomed their final withdrawal without delay from the Economic Community of West African States.
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2024-07-08 01:31:00