OUAGADOUGOU, May 13 — The People’s Legislative Assembly of Burkina Faso on Tuesday adopted four bills authorizing the ratification of additional protocols to the founding treaty of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), aiming to solidify the confederation’s legal and strategic framework.
The adoption took place during a plenary session in the capital, Ouagadougou, attended by 59 lawmakers who voted in favor of the texts signed in Bamako, Mali, on Dec. 23, 2025.
The protocols cover coordination of diplomatic action, coordination of development actions, defense and security, and the establishment of confederal parliamentary sessions.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean Marie Traore said that the move provides a “legal anchor” for cooperation already taking place on the ground among Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
“We want to create the conditions so that actions … can definitively have a legal basis in terms of diplomacy, defense and development,” Traore said.
The protocol on diplomatic coordination requires member states to coordinate positions on international issues, coordinate within global organizations, and provide mutual consular assistance. Traore said this would allow the three nations to “speak with one voice” on the international stage and form a united front against external aggression or geopolitical isolation.
In terms of development, the bills aim to create a confederal common market, strengthen food and energy sovereignty, and align macroeconomic performance across the member states.
Regarding defense and security, the protocols reaffirm a collective security architecture in which any attack on the territorial integrity of one member state is considered an aggression against the entire confederation. They also facilitate the pooling of defense resources and mutual assistance.
The AES, grouping Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, was established in September 2023. On July 6, 2024, the three countries announced the creation of the Confederation of the AES, marking a major step toward establishing an economic-military bloc. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
