Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the new rotating chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has called for the resumption of dialogue with the Sahel Alliance countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) that withdrew from the bloc earlier this year.
This call was made during his meeting with ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray in Freetown, where Bio stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships with these nations to boost trade, free movement, and regional peace.
The initiative follows the Abuja summit last June, during which a ministerial committee was established to address the withdrawals in line with Article 91 of the ECOWAS Treaty.
Meanwhile, the Sahel Alliance states have continued to build their joint institutions, including a flag, anthem, unified passport, and a proposed joint military force.
The Freetown meeting comes after earlier talks between ECOWAS and the foreign ministers of the alliance in Bamako last May, reflecting both sides’ willingness to keep communication channels open.
Bio also expressed his support for political transitions and upcoming elections in West Africa, including the transition in Guinea and the forthcoming elections in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, and proposed holding a special summit to mark ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary.
For his part, Touray reviewed the political situation in some member states and confirmed that a mission will be dispatched to assess the border dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea in the Yenga region.
