In a milestone symbolizing the loss by the Western colonial powers of political and military influence in the African Sahel region, the military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a new confederation treaty that they celebrate as a step “towards greater integration” between the countries.
The move comes as the United States’ military personnel completed their withdrawal from Niger’s Air Base 101, and is also leaving a separate, $100m drone base near Agadez in central Niger.
The three leaders held a a summit in the Nigerien capital of Niamey on Saturday, aiming to strengthen the mutual defense pact they established last year, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Al Jazeera reported:
“The signing capped the first joint summit of the leaders – Niger’s General Abdourahmane Tchiani, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traore, and Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goita – since they came to power in successive coups in their bordering West African nations.
It also came just months after the three countries withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc in January.”
Niger’s Tchiani called ECOWAS ‘a threat’ to their states, after the economic bloc suspended the countries and imposed sanctions.
This treaty dashes ECOWAS leaders’ hope for the trio’s eventual return.
“’We are going to create an AES of the peoples, instead of an ECOWAS whose directives and instructions are dictated to it by powers that are foreign to Africa’, Tchiani said.”
Burkina Faso’s Traore said that western powers – mainly France – seek to exploit the three nations.
“’Westerners consider that we belong to them and our wealth also belongs to them. They think that they are the ones who must continue to tell us what is good for our states’, he said. ‘This era is gone forever. Our resources will remain for us and our population’s’.”
The meeting of the three military leaders was held a day before ECOWAS met in the capital of Nigeria, and outlines their position of not returning to ECOWAS.
“The Niamey summit also came a day before the United States is set to complete its withdrawal from a key base in Niger, underscoring how the new military leaders have redrawn security relations that had defined the region in recent years.”
French troops completed their withdrawal from Mali in 2022, and from Niger and Burkina Faso last year,
While pushing out Western colonial powers, the military leaders in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have increasingly pursued ties with Russia.
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