Ministers from the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), meeting in Ouagadougou on November 11-12, 2026, expressed regret over the mass expulsions of African nationals from Guinea and reiterated their criticism of what they characterise as interference by the European Union in the internal affairs of African states.
In a statement released on Thursday following an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting, representatives from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger acknowledged the right of states to enforce their laws, while expressing concern over the large-scale and uncoordinated nature of the expulsions carried out by the Guinean authorities.
This stance comes as tens of thousands of people, having left artisanal gold-mining areas in Guinea, have transited through Mali – a situation that has necessitated the mobilisation of significant humanitarian and logistical resources to provide for them and facilitate their return to their home countries.
The council specifically commended the efforts of the Malian authorities in receiving Burkinabe nationals. The head of the Burkinabe delegation, Major General Celestin Simpore, conveyed his
government’s gratitude for the assistance provided by Bamako.
On the diplomatic front, the ministers also reaffirmed their condemnation of what they describe as persistent interference by the European Union in the internal affairs of African states.
The statement, however, does not cite any specific European decision or recent incident that prompted this position.
The meeting, chaired by Celestin Simpore, brought together a Malian delegation led by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alousseni Sanou, and a delegation from Niger headed by the Minister of National Defence, Army General Salifou Mody.
The proceedings focused on evaluating the roadmap for the second year of the Alliance of Sahel
States (AES) – adopted in February 2026 – across the areas of defence and security, diplomacy, and development.
The ministers welcomed the progress made in its implementation, though the communiqué provided no quantitative data or new measures with an accompanying execution timeline.
This session is part of the preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Confederation’s College of Heads of State, the date of which is not specified in the final document.
MD/ac/Sf/fss/as/APA