The president of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) on Sunday marked the bloc’s second anniversary by highlighting what he described as its “tangible” achievements while urging greater vigilance in the face of external pressure.
Ibrahim Traoré, who currently chairs the alliance established on July 6, 2024, addressed the nation to praise the implementation of the Confederation’s first-year roadmap as positive and highly satisfactory. During his address, the Burkinabe leader paid special tribute to Malian transitional president Assimi Goïta for his leadership during the bloc’s inaugural year, and praised Nigerien leader Abdourahamane Tiani for his unwavering commitment to the confederation’s ideals.
Traoré emphasized that political cooperation among the three member states has significantly strengthened over the last two years, yielding closer diplomatic coordination and increasingly effective collaboration among their armed forces in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Despite these advancements, the Burkinabe president stated that the three AES member states are currently facing an economic and media war of unprecedented scale. He accused outside actors of waging disinformation campaigns and attempting to manipulate public opinion in an effort to weaken the confederation. He stressed, however, that the alliance is directed against no people, nation, or organization, describing it instead as a sovereign initiative aimed at combating terrorism and strengthening the independence of its member states. Traoré also took the opportunity to pay tribute to the region’s security forces, as well as to all victims of terrorism and their families.
Looking ahead, Traoré outlined several critical priorities for the alliance’s second year, focusing on collective self-defence, deeper economic integration, industrialization, energy and food sovereignty, and greater freedom of movement for people and goods across the confederation. He called on the peoples of the Sahel to give their full support to this second-year roadmap to ensure its success. On the diplomatic front, Traoré noted that the AES will continue consultations with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with the aim of establishing a new framework for relations based on mutual respect for each side’s sovereign choices. He concluded his address by urging unity and collective mobilization to build what he described as a Sahel of peace, sovereignty, development, and shared prosperity.
HO/te/Sf/lb/abj/APA