The United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa, Leonardo Santos Simão, has called for the establishment of a cooperation framework between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Simão made this appeal on Friday in Bamako during a meeting with Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga, emphasizing the need for dialogue to ensure stability and economic integration in the region.
The UN’s call comes as ECOWAS continues to uphold the fundamental rights of citizens from the three AES member states, particularly the free movement of people and goods.
The AES had already announced in December that its borders would remain open to ECOWAS nationals while retaining the right to deny entry to individuals deemed “undesirable.”
The AES states – Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger- maintain that their decision to exit ECOWAS was driven by accusations that the regional bloc is influenced by France and has been ineffective in addressing security challenges in the Sahel region.
