Three West African countries want to form a 'national union' after the coup

Mali and Burkina Faso, two West African countries that have been under military rule since coups in 2020 and 2022 respectively, were quick to show support for military leaders in neighboring Niger when they overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July.

The three countries have created the "Sahel National Union," establishing closer economic ties and supporting each other's defense if a member's sovereignty or territorial integrity is threatened. The Sahel is the name of a strip of land on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa that has often seen unrest.

Ba nước Tây Phi muốn thành lập 'liên hiệp quốc gia' hậu đảo chính - Ảnh 1. — United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali in 2016

In a joint statement after a two-day conference in the Malian capital Bamako on December 1, the foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger spoke of the "enormous potential for peace, stability, diplomatic strength and economic development that a strong alliance brings".

"The ministers... aimed at the ultimate ambition of a united federation of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, recommending to the heads of state of the Sahel National Union the establishment of a national confederation (confederation)," the statement said.

Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said the conclusions of the conference would be presented to the heads of state of the three countries. The leaders are expected to meet in Bamako at an unspecified date.

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Military governments in the three West African countries have also strengthened ties to resist international pressure to return to democracy, as well as to deal with jihadist insurgencies that have long plagued the three countries.

The conference in Bamako aimed to consolidate the work of the new alliance, with foreign ministers stressing the importance of diplomacy, defence and development "to consolidate political and economic integration".

The statement also said that last month, the three countries' economic and finance ministers recommended the creation of a stabilization fund, an investment bank and a research committee on economic and monetary union.

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