The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appointed former Guinean Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté as mediator on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, tasked with re-establishing dialogue with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The rupture already seems to be consummated between the regional organization and these three Sahelian countries.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are led by military regimes that came to power between 2020 and 2023. They have distanced themselves from West African institutions and left the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) last year. At the same time, they formed a political and security alliance called the Sahel States Alliance (AES).
Lansana Kouyaté, former Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, has been appointed as the lead negotiator with these states. ECOWAS authorities state that his mission is to promote reconciliation and restore exchanges with the AES member countries. West African officials highlight his diplomatic experience as an asset to revive discussions.
Several previous initiatives have not yielded concrete results. In July 2024, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was appointed as a mediator but did not reach an agreement. In March 2025, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama also visited the three countries with the same objective, without success.
