The three military junta leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have pledged to consolidate their union, the Alliance of Sahel States.
The leaders of the three countries announced their position during their first summit in Niamey, the capital of Niger, following their withdrawal from the West Africa bloc known as ECOWAS in January.
However, they stated that they won’t return to ECOWAS. They plan to create a stabilisation fund, a bank and a committee to study the economy.
Speaking at the conference in Niamey, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, who serves as the military leader of Niger, said, “For nearly 50 years, ECOWAS has become a threat to our states.”
Similarly, Burkina Faso’s leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, reaffirmed those concerns and accused foreign countries of exploiting Africa.
Traoré stated, “Westerners believe we are theirs, and our wealth belongs to them. They think they should continue dictating what’s best for our states. That era is over; our resources will now benefit us and our people.”
The attack on one of us will be an attack on all the other members,” said Mali’s leader, Col. Assimi Goïta.
With Goïta elected as the new alliance’s leader, the three leaders signed a pact committing their countries to creating a regional parliament and a bank similar to those operated by ECOWAS. They also committed to pooling their military resources to fight insecurity in their countries.
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