Almost 21 months after Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger walked out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), both sides have agreed to sit down and negotiate a formal cooperation framework, the first structured step toward defining how the region will live with its biggest political split.

The agreement came out of a ministerial meeting held in Dakar, Senegal, on October 17, 2026. There, ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the breakaway bloc formed by the three countries, agreed to set up joint thematic working groups. These groups will hold technical discussions aimed at producing a cooperation framework.
A joint communiqué issued after the meeting said the working groups would explore areas of common interest. Their findings will go to ministers for consideration before the next session, whose date and venue are yet to be fixed and will be determined through diplomatic channels.
Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang, who chairs ECOWAS’s Council of Ministers, led the ECOWAS delegation. Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, led the AES side and chaired its ministerial steering committee.
The split itself dates back to January 2024, when Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS. The move followed tensions with the bloc after military coups in the three countries, and disagreements over sanctions and the transition to civilian rule. The exit formally took effect on January 29, 2025.

The Dakar meeting comes as both sides try to define their relationship while preserving the longstanding social, cultural and economic links across West Africa. In the communiqué, both parties said future relations should be guided by good neighbourliness, respect for sovereignty, dignity and the welfare of the region’s populations. They also committed to a balanced and realistic framework that protects the interests of their respective populations.
The proposed agreement could provide a basis for cooperation on cross-border trade, transport and regional infrastructure. The three AES countries are landlocked and rely on routes through neighbouring states to reach seaports and international markets, while coastal economies maintain commercial links with the Sahel.

However, the communiqué did not announce a new trade agreement or any change to existing cross-border arrangements. Instead, it set out a process: technical discussions first, then ministerial consideration of the working groups’ recommendations.
The meeting also followed earlier consultations held in Bamako, Mali, on May 22, 2025, and reflects continued efforts to establish a structured relationship between ECOWAS and the AES. The parties thanked Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his government for hosting the meeting and for supporting West African integration.
The next stage will depend on the joint working groups’ recommendations and on whether the two sides can turn their stated commitment into a formal agreement.