Security cooperation between Burkina Faso and Mali is back in focus as Burkinabe Security Minister Mahamadou Sana began a working visit to Bamako for talks with Mali’s Security and Civil Protection Minister Daoud Aly Mohammedine.
The visit aims to strengthen joint efforts against armed groups, improve border security and enhance the protection of civilian populations.
Both countries, alongside Niger, are members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and have intensified security coordination in response to persistent threats across the region.
The talks come as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports a new wave of Burkinabe refugees arriving in the Koro area of central Mali after fleeing attacks in villages near the border.
Humanitarian agencies say most of the arrivals are women, children and elderly people who escaped violence in Burkina Faso’s Boucle du Mouhoun region.
The influx is adding pressure to already stretched services in host communities, where tens of thousands of Burkinabe refugees are already registered.
Aid agencies are calling for additional support to meet urgent needs, including shelter, food, healthcare, clean water and psychosocial assistance, while authorities from both countries seek stronger coordination to address the security challenges driving displacement.
