Written by: Badr Ahmed

The foreign ministers of the Sahel countries held a meeting in the Malian capital, Bamako, on Saturday, as part of the implementation of the Union’s second year roadmap, with the aim of unifying visions and strengthening joint coordination in the diplomatic field between the member states, namely Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Foreign ministers of the Sahel countries discuss strengthening diplomatic coordination

The meeting was chaired by Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, while Mali's Foreign Minister and Minister of International Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop, led his country's delegation, and Niger's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Nigeriens Abroad, Bakary Yao Sangare, headed the Nigerien delegation. The ministerial meeting followed a meeting of senior officials held on June 17 and 18.

In their speeches, the ministers affirmed that the meeting is in line with the vision of the leaders of the three countries – President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso, Transitional President Assimi Goïta of Mali, and President Abdourahmane Tiéné of Niger – which aims to build a regional space based on sovereignty, security, and shared prosperity to serve the peoples of the Sahel region.

The meeting witnessed the adoption of a set of measures aimed at strengthening diplomatic coordination within the Union, developing joint mechanisms to unify political positions, as well as approving procedures aimed at diversifying international partnerships and enhancing the Union’s presence on the global stage.

The ministers welcomed the framework for joint diplomatic dialogue among the three countries, emphasizing its importance as an effective platform for coordinating positions on regional and international issues of common interest. They also commended the initiatives for regular consultations between the diplomatic and consular missions of the member states, calling for expanding this cooperation in the coming period.

The participants agreed to continue studying a draft confederate diplomatic map that would allow for more efficient representation of the Union around the world, and stressed the importance of coordinating positions in preparation for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for New York in September 2026.

On the security front, the ministers strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and destabilization attempts targeting member states of the Union, affirming their full solidarity with Mali and Niger. They commended the Malian armed forces' response to the attacks that struck the country last April and praised the vigilance of the Nigerien armed forces in thwarting the attempted infiltration of Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey on June 18.

The ministers also condemned what they described as media disinformation campaigns and information manipulation targeting the Union countries, stressing the need to strengthen coordination between media and communication institutions in the three countries to confront these challenges.

The meeting concluded by emphasizing the continued implementation of the vision of the leaders of the Sahel Union to promote regional integration and achieve the aspirations of the peoples of the region for security, stability and development, while thanking the government and people of Mali for hosting and organizing the meeting and providing all facilities for the participating delegations.