Authorities from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger finalized a joint roadmap in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, establishing a legally binding operational framework to enhance security, humanitarian response, and economic development across their shared frontiers.
Concluding a two-day ministerial summit, representatives from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) validated an additional protocol to the treaty establishing the AES Confederation, while simultaneously creating a permanent consultation framework for administrative authorities in border regions. Representing the Burkinabe Prime Minister, Minister of Territorial Administration Émile Zerbo emphasized that the ratified protocol legally binds all three member states to synchronized border management and joint regional governance.
The new institutional mechanism empowers governors and local administrators across border provinces to maintain continuous dialogue and deploy coordinated interventions against cross-border insecurity, population displacement, and economic instability. Welcoming the agreement, Malian Minister of Territorial Administration Brigadier General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly and Nigerien Interior Ministry Secretary-General Ayouba Abdourahmane called for the immediate, harmonized execution of the accompanying action plan to transform volatile frontier zones into hubs of solidarity and shared development. By aligning security forces, local administrations, and community leadership under a unified command architecture, the AES member nations aim to address persistent regional threats through direct, localized military and administrative cooperation.
HO/te/Sf/lb/abj/APA