The Beninese and Malian foreign ministers met in Bamako during the WAEMU Council of Ministers, in a context of growing tensions between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The Beninese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, met his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop, on Friday on the sidelines of the Council of Ministers of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) in Bamako, the Benin government reported. This meeting takes place in a context of regional tensions between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The two ministers met while their countries belong to different regional blocs: Mali is part of the AES, which left ECOWAS in January 2024, while Benin remains a member of the regional institution. The AES reaffirmed the irreversibility of its withdrawal, despite the reintegration efforts of ECOWAS, which led to the granting of additional time to the Sahel bloc to review its decision. Relations between Benin and Niger, also a member of the AES, have become considerably strained in recent months. Niamey has in fact increased the accusations against Cotonou, accusing it of being an ally of international powers aiming to destabilize Niger.
This meeting took place on the sidelines of the last ordinary session of the year 2024 of the WAEMU Council of Ministers, chaired by the Ivorian Minister of Finance and Budget, Adama Coulibaly. The Council examined several files submitted by the Central Bank of West African States (Bceao) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD) aimed at strengthening regional integration.
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