West African leaders have reopened formal negotiations with the three military-led Sahel countries, agreeing to establish joint working groups on future cooperation, trade and security nearly 21 months after their departure from the regional bloc.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have resumed formal diplomatic negotiations with the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, marking a significant attempt to rebuild cooperation after the three countries withdrew from the regional organization in January 2025. The renewed engagement took place on Saturday, October 17, 2026, during a ministerial meeting in Dakar, Senegal, where representatives of ECOWAS and the Confederation of Sahel States, known as the AES, agreed to establish joint working groups to develop a framework for future cooperation. Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, led the Sahel delegation, while Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang headed the ECOWAS team. The discussions focused on managing relations between the neighbouring countries despite their political separation, particularly in areas involving regional stability, economic integration and cross-border cooperation. A joint communiqué welcomed the constructive atmosphere and emphasised mutual respect, sovereignty and good neighbourliness. However, the agreement does not mean the three Sahel countries have decided to return to ECOWAS.
The agreement provides a formal structure for negotiations between ECOWAS and the AES following months of diplomatic contacts and preparatory meetings. According to the joint communiqué released after the Dakar gathering, thematic working groups will conduct technical discussions and develop proposals for a cooperation agreement covering matters of common interest. The findings will subsequently be submitted to ministers for consideration before the next round of negotiations. The parties have not announced a date or venue for that meeting, leaving the timetable dependent on further diplomatic consultations. The proposed framework is intended to address practical problems created by the withdrawal, rather than reverse the decision itself. Among the subjects identified in reporting on the discussions are the movement of people and goods, cross-border trade, regional security and institutional cooperation. Officials have not yet released a completed agreement specifying binding obligations, funding commitments or enforcement arrangements.
The talks followed coordinated preparations by the three Sahel governments, which have sought to negotiate with ECOWAS as a united diplomatic bloc. On October 14, experts from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger met in Ouagadougou to harmonise their positions before the Dakar negotiations. Two days later, the foreign ministers of the three countries held another meeting to review recommendations from earlier consultations in Bamako and Niamey. Burkina Faso’s government said the discussions were intended to establish common negotiating priorities and prepare proposals for consideration by the political authorities of the AES. This coordination reflects the alliance’s determination to manage relations with neighbouring West African countries collectively rather than through separate national agreements. It also demonstrates that the renewed dialogue was the result of planned diplomatic engagement, not a sudden abandonment of the three governments’ decision to leave ECOWAS.
The renewed engagement follows a period of strained relations caused by military takeovers and disagreements over democratic governance. Mali experienced military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, Burkina Faso underwent two military takeovers in 2022, and Niger’s elected government was overthrown in July 2023. ECOWAS imposed sanctions and demanded the restoration of constitutional government, arguing that unconstitutional changes of government threatened regional stability and democratic principles. The military authorities criticised the organisation’s approach, describing some of its measures as punitive and inconsistent with their countries’ security priorities and sovereignty. Tensions became particularly serious after the Niger coup, when ECOWAS discussed the possibility of military intervention to restore civilian rule. Although the regional organisation subsequently reduced some sanctions and pursued diplomatic engagement, relations remained difficult. The three governments increasingly developed their own security and political arrangements, culminating in their formal withdrawal from ECOWAS on January 29, 2025.
The countries’ departure represented a major institutional setback for a regional organisation established in 1975 to promote economic integration and cooperation among West African states. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are geographically connected to several ECOWAS members and depend on important transport and commercial links with coastal countries, including Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. Their withdrawal created uncertainty over the future application of regional trade arrangements, movement rights and cooperation between public institutions. ECOWAS responded by seeking transitional arrangements that would reduce disruption for ordinary citizens while negotiations continued. In July 2026, the organisation extended the mandate of its chief negotiator, former Guinean Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté, until December, demonstrating its intention to maintain structured discussions with the Sahel states. The October meeting builds on those efforts and represents progress towards defining a more permanent relationship between the two organisations.
For residents of the affected countries, the negotiations could have substantial consequences for employment, transportation, education and family relationships that extend across national borders. Traders in landlocked Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger depend on access to coastal ports and regional road networks to move food, fuel, construction materials and manufactured products. Restrictions, additional documentation requirements or uncertainty over customs arrangements can increase transportation costs and create delays. Students, migrant workers and families with relatives in neighbouring countries also have an interest in preserving predictable travel arrangements. A practical cooperation agreement could help clarify these issues, although the Dakar meeting did not immediately change existing border procedures. The economic interests involved are substantial because the region’s countries remain interconnected despite their political differences. Their governments must also consider how any new arrangements would operate alongside existing African Union commitments and wider continental trade agreements.
Security cooperation is another central issue because armed groups operating across the Sahel do not confine their activities to national boundaries. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have experienced prolonged violence involving organisations linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, while neighbouring coastal states face concerns about the possible expansion of extremist networks. The three Sahel governments created the Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023 through a mutual defence agreement and subsequently developed it into a confederation in July 2024. Their stated objective was to strengthen collective defence, political coordination and economic cooperation. ECOWAS, meanwhile, has continued pursuing its own regional security arrangements, including counterterrorism initiatives and cooperation among member states. The existence of separate organisations complicates intelligence sharing, border management and coordinated responses to attacks. Renewed negotiations could provide a channel for addressing these difficulties without requiring either side to relinquish its existing institutional structure.
Leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger at an Alliance of Sahel States summit. Their governments established a confederation after disagreements with ECOWAS.
The political significance of the talks lies partly in the different priorities maintained by the two sides. ECOWAS continues to identify constitutional governance, regional integration and collective security as important principles of its organisation. The AES governments place particular emphasis on national sovereignty, security independence and freedom to determine their external partnerships. Supporters of renewed cooperation argue that these positions need not prevent agreements on trade, border management or counterterrorism, especially where practical cooperation benefits citizens across the region. Others caution that closer engagement must not obscure unresolved disagreements over political transitions, human rights and the treatment of political opposition under military administrations. The Dakar communiqué’s emphasis on mutual respect offers a diplomatic basis for continued discussions, but it does not resolve those disagreements. Whether the proposed framework can accommodate the priorities of both organisations will depend on the wording of future agreements and the willingness of participating governments to implement them.
The latest diplomatic development follows earlier post-withdrawal consultations in Bamako in May 2025, when representatives discussed how to preserve cooperation despite the three countries’ formal departure. Those contacts helped keep communication channels open, although they did not produce a comprehensive agreement on future relations. The October 17 session is significant because it established a ministerial negotiating process specifically focused on a structured cooperation framework. Reporting on October 18 and 19 confirmed that the parties had agreed to organise technical working groups, with their recommendations to be reviewed at a subsequent ministerial meeting. No timetable has been confirmed for completing the framework, and no announcement has been made that Burkina Faso, Mali or Niger intends to apply for readmission to ECOWAS. The talks therefore represent renewed diplomatic engagement between separate regional organisations rather than reunification.
The resumption of formal negotiations between Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and ECOWAS marks an important diplomatic development after nearly two years of strained relations and institutional separation. By agreeing to establish joint working groups, both sides have acknowledged the need to manage shared security, economic and humanitarian concerns despite their disagreements over governance and regional authority. The immediate challenge is translating the agreement to negotiate into practical arrangements that protect cross-border movement, maintain commercial connections and improve cooperation against armed violence. Important questions remain about the scope of the proposed framework, the responsibilities of each organisation and whether the negotiations can produce lasting commitments. For millions of West Africans whose livelihoods depend on regional stability, the outcome could have consequences far beyond diplomatic relations. The Dakar meeting has not reversed the Sahel countries’ withdrawal, but it has reopened a formal channel through which the two blocs can pursue cooperation while maintaining their separate political identities.
