ECOWAS and AES Form Joint Groups to Enhance Cooperation

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) have reached an agreement to establish joint working groups to negotiate a cooperation deal. This initiative aims to protect cross-border trade, security collaboration, and other regional ties that have been strained by the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS.

The agreement was made during the first ministerial meeting of the ECOWAS-AES Dialogue on Cooperation held on Saturday in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting was co-chaired by Senegal’s Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad, Cheikh Niang, and Burkina Faso’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré.

The talks will focus on creating a structured channel for engagement between ECOWAS and the three Sahelian countries, whose departure from the bloc has raised concerns over trade routes and security. The communiqué did not specify priorities for the working groups or indicate whether negotiations would reverse the withdrawals, which took effect on January 29, 2025.