Nigerièn leader, Abdourahmane Tiani, meets with Malian counterpart, Assimi Goïta in Bamako
In the midst of security challenges and geopolitical realignments in the Sahel, Niger’s military leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, embarked on a whirlwind diplomatic tour to Mali and Burkina Faso on September 30.
He arrived first in Bamako for a 24-hour official visit where he was warmly received by Mali’s Transitional President, General Assimi Goïta, before making an unscheduled “courtesy stopover” in Ouagadougou to meet Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
This compact itinerary, though brief, reinforced the union forged among the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, since their 2023 pact against ECOWAS sanctions and military threats. As the Sahel grapples with violence from groups like JNIM and ISGS, Tiani’s outreach emerges as a calculated bid to fortify a nascent confederation, which prioritises sovereignty over Western alliances.
Tiani’s objectives were multifaceted. Foremost was expressing gratitude for the “pact of blood” solidarity displayed in 2023, when Mali and Burkina Faso vowed military intervention if ECOWAS invaded Niger post-coup.
Tiani noted that the support during Niger’s isolation “will never be forgotten” and strengthened their “indestructible fraternity.” He explicitly recalled the “attempted isolation of Niger in 2023, to which our brother countries responded with unflinching solidarity.”
His remarks evoked the emotional weight of that tense period, serving as a reminder of mutual burden faced by the trio in managing a porous border zone where insurgency claims many lives annually.
Security topped the agenda of the visit. discussions accelerated plans for a unified AES military command, headquartered in Niamey, with joint battalions already operational for cross-border counterterrorism. Tiani highlighted bilateral deployments yielding results, such as recent Malian airstrikes neutralising 15 jihadists and 20 motorcycles near Sokolo in Ségou region.
The tour also pushed economic self-reliance, announcing the imminent launch of the AES Confederation Investment and Development Bank. With headquarters and structures in place, operational modalities are slated for finalisation at an upcoming Bamako summit, aiming to fund infrastructure and reduce dependence on CFA franc ties to France.
Diplomatically, the visits reinforced AES’s defiant posture against “neo-colonial” influences. Tiani and Goïta agreed on unified stances at forums like the UN, rejecting ECOWAS reintegration and French partnerships, evident in Mali’s expulsion of Barkhane forces and Niger’s uranium contract renegotiations with Orano.
In Ouagadougou, talks with Traoré, Tiani’s second such meeting since seizing power, explored governance synergies, including Burkina Faso’s “Faso Mêbo” initiative for 3,000-5,000 km of annual road paving and local gold mine nationalisations.
Broader Sahel development was also discussed. It is expected that the new regional development bank could channel revenues from recaptured mines into shared resilience projects like mobile field hospitals and agricultural mechanisation. Burkina Faso alone liberated five mining sites in June 2025, creating 1,200 jobs.
The Bamako meeting, followed by expanded delegations, yielded commitments to deepen the joint force, already credited with disrupting JNIM operations in Mali, such as fuel blockades near Kayes and rescuing hostages in Diema. No joint communiqués emerged, but Tiani’s tour marks a shift from defensive alliances to a more aggressive move towards integration, demonstrating the pan-Africanist ideals the three leaders have promoted.
By December, the AES intends to implement its confederal treaty, which would include formalised bank statutes and force expansions. Analysts warn that failure risks fragmentation, emboldening insurgents. For now, the tour cements AES as the Sahel’s bulwark, a “sovereign bloc” defying odds. In Tiani’s words, it is about reclaiming destiny, moving from ECOWAS pariahs to confederated powers, the Sahel’s juntas bet on unity to outlast the storm.
