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Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso: How a triumvirate of military leaders are redrawing West Africa's map
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20240712-mali-niger-burkina-faso-how-a-triumvirate-of-military-leaders-are-redrawing-west-africa-s-map(video, links, at source)
Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso: How a triumvirate of military leaders are redrawing West Africa’s map
The military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signed a treaty of confederation Saturday bringing together 72 million people into the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). It’s a decision, they say, that will not only allow the three nations to wipe the scourge of jihadist violence from their countries, but to build a new economic alliance that will reshape West Africa.
Issued on: 12/07/2024 - 07:0 8 min
By: Paul MILLAR
In a crowded auditorium in Niger’s capital Niamey, the world’s youngest head of state rested his gauntleted hands on the desk in front of him and thanked God. Not just, he said, for bringing forth this day, Saturday July 6, but for all that he had done and would continue to do for the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – united now, Captain Ibrahim Traoré said, in the confederated Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
[...]
His fellow triumvirs took up the refrain. Soft-spoken and avuncular behind a bushy black beard, Mali’s interim President Colonel Assimi Goïta said that by allowing “the free circulation of people and goods” within the three-country bloc, the confederation that they were putting in place would one day give way to a full-fledged federation, uniting 72 million people into one community.
“We're moving beyond individual national identities,” he said. “Instead of citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso, or Niger, we'll refer to ourselves as people of the AES. In this alliance, a Burkinabe or Nigerien will feel at home in Mali, and vice versa, without encountering administrative barriers.”
The summit’s joint communiqué laid out the long-term aspirations of this imminent union: the three countries would pool their disparate resources to build wide-reaching transport and communications infrastructure; to facilitate trade and the free movement of goods and people to support an industrial transformation; and to invest in the three nations’ agriculture, mines and energy sectors.
[...]
The military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signed a treaty of confederation Saturday bringing together 72 million people into the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). It’s a decision, they say, that will not only allow the three nations to wipe the scourge of jihadist violence from their countries, but to build a new economic alliance that will reshape West Africa.
Issued on: 12/07/2024 - 07:0 8 min
By: Paul MILLAR
In a crowded auditorium in Niger’s capital Niamey, the world’s youngest head of state rested his gauntleted hands on the desk in front of him and thanked God. Not just, he said, for bringing forth this day, Saturday July 6, but for all that he had done and would continue to do for the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – united now, Captain Ibrahim Traoré said, in the confederated Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
[...]
His fellow triumvirs took up the refrain. Soft-spoken and avuncular behind a bushy black beard, Mali’s interim President Colonel Assimi Goïta said that by allowing “the free circulation of people and goods” within the three-country bloc, the confederation that they were putting in place would one day give way to a full-fledged federation, uniting 72 million people into one community.
“We're moving beyond individual national identities,” he said. “Instead of citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso, or Niger, we'll refer to ourselves as people of the AES. In this alliance, a Burkinabe or Nigerien will feel at home in Mali, and vice versa, without encountering administrative barriers.”
The summit’s joint communiqué laid out the long-term aspirations of this imminent union: the three countries would pool their disparate resources to build wide-reaching transport and communications infrastructure; to facilitate trade and the free movement of goods and people to support an industrial transformation; and to invest in the three nations’ agriculture, mines and energy sectors.
[...]