A high-profile visit to Burkina Faso on September 16 by Sierra Leone’s president and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, Julius Maada Bio, has been described many regional political observers as a decisive diplomatic initiative.
The visit was part of formal engagements with Burkinabe military president, Ibrahim Traoré, in a renewed effort to revive relations between ECOWAS and the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
The visit included closed-door discussions and a ceremonial exchange held against the backdrop of regional geopolitical realignments, and it raised hopes of a potential thaw in tensions following the AES’s formal exit from ECOWAS on January 29.
However, Political analysts argued that Bio’s word choice raised some questions. They say his reference to Traore as a “transitional” president undermined the Burkinabe leader’s authority and exposed the main issue of contention between the Sahel states and regional body, which is the refusal to recognise the military juntas as legitimate authorities, they pointed out.
Some say this may have been an oversight on the Sierra Leonean leader’s part, because, in his address to the press, Bio emphasised solidarity, regional integration, and support for Burkina Faso amidst its security challenges and ECOWAS exit. It is expected that Burkina Faso’s recent 5.2% GDP growth in 2024 would attract attention from ECOWAS member-states to revive regional trade relations.
The AES, which evolved into a Confederation in July 2024,, has pursued a path of self-reliance, reinforced by Niger’s impressive 8.4% GDP growth in 2024, a significant rebound from 2.0-2.4% in 2023. The economic momentum has been driven by resource exploitation and reduced Western influence, after the military regimes in the three countries expelled foreign military forces stationed in their territories.
The new momentum has positioned the AES as a counterweight to ECOWAS’s traditional integration model. The trio’s exit from ECOWAS, finalised after rejecting a proposed transition extension, reflects a broader rejection of external oversight. The AES established the Confederal Bank for Investment and Development (CBID) in May to fund infrastructure projects.
The renewed push for partnership has raised concerns among some civil society groups about human rights and governance. The Traoré government, which seized power in a 2022 coup, has faced criticism from Human Rights Watch for suppressing dissent, including unsubstantiated allegations of the killing of 223 civilians in February 2024.
Recent reports by Amnesty International speak of ongoing abuses, including massacres by armed groups and media censorship, casting a shadow over Bio’s engagement. The Burkinabe government has rejected these allegations levelled by these groups. It even expelled some foreign news media platforms recently for publicising the allegations without seeking the government’s side of the story.
Some groups question whether economic collaboration can succeed without addressing these underlying tensions, especially as ECOWAS seeks to revitalise the Mano River Union with Côte d’Ivoire’s support, as reaffirmed by Bio and President Alassane Ouattara in August. Many commentators point to the hypocrisy of such assessments as same underlying tensions have been echoed by opposition groups within ECOWAS member-states.
Supporters of the AES hail the alliance’s potential to lift people out of poverty, while opponents call for caution in Bio’s push for relations with “undemocratic” regimes.
The visit may be the first steps to reviving West African unity. Whether it bridges the ECOWAS-AES divide or widens it depends on balancing economic gains with the region’s pressing political challenges.
