New ECOWAS chief opens door to Sahel states as regional unity hangs in the balance
The new President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, has made reconciliation with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger a priority, pledging renewed cooperation with the three countries despite their withdrawal from the West African bloc.
Speaking at his formal inauguration in Abuja on Monday, Diop said ECOWAS must urgently rebuild its cohesion and reopen meaningful engagement with the three Alliance of Sahel States (AES) members. He argued that political separation has not changed the realities binding the countries together.
His message comes at a critical moment for West Africa.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally left ECOWAS after years of tensions over military rule, sanctions and the bloc’s demands for a return to constitutional government. They have since established the AES as an alternative regional alliance, with their own political, economic and security structures.
But the new ECOWAS chief is effectively arguing that geography may be stronger than politics.
ECOWAS and the three AES countries share about 5,250 kilometres of borders, while their populations remain deeply connected through trade, migration and family ties. More importantly, they face common threats, including jihadist violence, organised cross-border crime, irregular migration and environmental challenges.
The timing is also significant because security cooperation across the region has become increasingly fragmented. The AES countries have moved closer to Russia, while ECOWAS continues to pursue its own regional security mechanisms. The recent mutiny in Niger, which required assistance from Russia’s Africa Corps, has further highlighted the changing security landscape in the Sahel.
Diop’s approach suggests ECOWAS may be moving away from simply trying to reverse the Sahel states’ departure and towards managing the separation while keeping practical cooperation alive.
Nigeria has also signalled support for renewed engagement. Representing President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye described the AES countries as neighbours with shared challenges and aspirations and urged the new ECOWAS leadership to intensify engagement with them.
The bigger question is whether this can repair a regional bloc that has suffered its deepest political rupture in decades.
