Mamadou Tangara, the African Union’s (AU) Special Representative for Mali and the Sahel and Head of the AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), visited the Commission of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja on Friday, amidst a reshaping of relations between the regional organization and the countries of the Confederation of Sahel States (CSA).
Received at the Commission’s headquarters in Asokoro by its President, Omar Alieu Touray, the Gambian diplomat discussed strengthening coordination between the African Union and ECOWAS in the face of security and political challenges in the Sahel.
The discussions focused The African Union’s Special Representative for Mali and the Sahel visited the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja to strengthen coordination between the two organizations, following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional organization and also the continued technical and security cooperation.
in particular on strengthening institutional cooperation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and regional development.
The meeting is part of the diplomatic efforts undertaken by the African Union to maintain dialogue between regional organizations and the Sahelian states, following Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger’s official departure from ECOWAS in January 2025 to form the Confederation of Sahel States.
Despite this political withdrawal, the three countries recently reaffirmed their commitment to continuing discussions “in good faith” with ECOWAS, while maintaining their participation in certain technical bodies of the organisation.
The 68th ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government admitted the three countries as non-regional members of the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), in recognition of their commitment to combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Following the same logic of functional continuity, their participation in the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) was also maintained with the status of “non-regional countries,” in order to ensure the continuation of development projects and financial operations.
Mamadou Tangara’s visit to Abuja comes a few weeks after a fact-finding mission to Mali. At the end of January, the head of MISAHEL was received in Bamako by the President of the Malian transition, General Assimi Goïta, to define the priorities of his mission and discuss the evolution of the Confederation of Sahel States.
During the meeting at the Koulouba Palace, in the presence of Malian
Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, discussions also focused on the
African Union’s diplomatic initiatives to maintain channels of dialogue with Sahelian states, which had been suspended from the organization’s decision-making bodies following the political changes that occurred between 2020 and 2021.
In this context, marked by occasional tensions, particularly after the incident involving a Nigerian military aircraft temporarily detained in Burkina Faso in December, coordination between African institutions appears to be a key lever for preserving regional cooperation mechanisms.
Mamadou Tangara’s visit to the ECOWAS Commission thus illustrates the African Union’s commitment to maintaining a framework for consultation among regional actors, while security and economic imperatives continue to necessitate cross-border cooperation in West Africa.
AC/Sf/fss/gik/APA