We hope Alliance of Sahel States will return after 6-month window — ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed hope that member states of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) may reconsider their exit and rejoin the regional bloc before the expiration of the six-month engagement window.

Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, stated that the regional body remains optimistic that the current mediation efforts will produce beneficial results.

“It is our hope that this new opportunity will yield the expected return of the AES countries to the Community and allow us to resolve our differences as a family,” Amb. Musah stated.

He said this in a speech delivered on his behalf by Ebenezer Asiedu, Head of Democracy and Good Governance Division at ECOWAS, at the opening of a two-day Annual Civil Society Regional Convening held in Accra on Tuesday, March 4.

The convening, held under the theme, “Leveraging the CSOs Solidarity Movement in Defence of Democracy across West Africa: Challenges, Lessons Learned, and Perspectives,” was organized by the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS).

The AES, which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, officially left ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, alleging a variety of concerns, including allegations of external intervention in their internal affairs.

The mediation effort, chaired by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, is intended to seek peaceful resolution to the dispute.

The ECOWAS Commissioner stated that, despite the suspension of the AES countries from the bloc's decision-making processes, the spirit of regional cooperation and pragmatism continues to guide ECOWAS' approach to the crisis.

“This decision reflects both pragmatism and the spirit of solidarity and accommodation that have characterized ECOWAS over the years,” Amb. Musah noted