BAMAKO, June 21– Foreign ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) met Saturday in Bamako, the capital of Mali, to strengthen diplomatic coordination among the three member states, according to a press release issued after the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore and attended by his Malian and Nigerien counterparts, Abdoulaye Diop and Bakary Yaou Sangare. According to the press release, the ministers adopted measures to reinforce diplomatic coordination within the AES, strengthen existing mechanisms for the three countries to “speak with one voice,” and diversify the confederation’s international partnerships.They also agreed to continue consultations on a confederal diplomatic map to improve the AES’ global diplomatic coverage, and to coordinate preparations for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for September in New York. The ministers condemned terrorist and destabilizing actions targeting the three countries, including recent attacks against Malian military positions and an attempted incursion against Niger’s Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, the press release said. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger first established a mutual defense alliance in 2023 before announcing the creation of a confederation in July 2024. They formally withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States in January 2025.
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