Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, acting through the Confederation of Sahel States, or AES, have agreed with ECOWAS to establish joint thematic working groups aimed at negotiating a framework cooperation agreement. The decision was taken in Dakar on 17 October 2026 and received further coverage on 18 October. It is therefore an important continuing diplomatic development, rather than a meeting held during this briefing’s 24-hour window. (aps.sn)
What was agreed
According to Senegal’s Agence de Presse Sénégalaise, the working groups will conduct technical discussions on areas of common interest and submit their findings to ministers before another negotiating session. The communiqué envisages a practical, balanced relationship grounded in sovereignty, good neighbourliness and the welfare of West African populations. (aps.sn)
Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, headed the AES delegation. Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang led the ECOWAS side. The date and venue of the next formal session remained to be settled through diplomatic consultations. (aps.sn)
A negotiating process, not a completed settlement
The three Sahel countries withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025. The Dakar outcome establishes machinery for negotiating their subsequent relationship; it does not reverse that withdrawal or demonstrate that outstanding arrangements have been resolved. Premium Times’ 18 October report described renewed formal engagement despite continuing political differences. (premiumtimesng.com)
The negotiations also build on consultations held in Bamako on 22 May 2025. Descriptions of Dakar as the first formal ministerial negotiating session should not be read as meaning there had been no previous contact between the organisations. (aps.sn)