Senegal’s head of state has reaffirmed the sovereignty of the countries of the Central Sahel, while stressing the importance of constructive dialogue to maintain regional stability, including after the withdrawal of the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
At the Doha Forum on December 7, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye commented on the recent tensions within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the announcement of the withdrawal from the bloc of neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
In January 2024, these countries, led by military regimes resulting from coups, expressed their desire to leave ECOWAS, accusing it of being used by foreign powers.
“These are sovereign countries,” President Faye stressed, recalling their right to decide their own political future.
However, he stressed the importance of maintaining a constructive dialogue to avoid weakening the region in the face of security challenges.
The Senegalese leader spoke of the ongoing mediation between these Sahelian countries and ECOWAS, asserting that “communication has also been maintained between myself and my colleagues in the other countries, who know that Senegal is there to support them,” and stressed that despite the challenges, ECOWAS remains an essential framework for resolving crises in the region, with the hope that the organisation will be able to reform its structures to better meet the needs of member states.
“We share borders with other ECOWAS member countries, and if those countries have security problems, we will have security problems,” he explained, pointing to the need for a common approach to the challenges of terrorism and violent extremism.
He added that regional integration through ECOWAS had facilitated the movement of people and goods, and that maintaining this cooperation was crucial to tackling common security threats.
