Meeting of Ministers of the Coalition of Sahel States in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou (French)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mali said on Thursday that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - countries ruled by military regimes after coups that occurred in recent years - intend to move forward with establishing a union.

This comes at a time when the three countries are strengthening their relations through an alliance that threatens the integration of the broader West African region.

Map of the three countries participating in the "Coalition of Sahel Countries" (Al Jazeera)

Neighboring countries in the impoverished Sahel region announced last January that they would withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a decision the group urged them to reconsider, warning of the additional difficulties that would occur as a result of this withdrawal.

During a meeting in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, 3 ministers from those countries affirmed their shared commitment to withdraw from ECOWAS without delay and to continue cooperation under an agreement known as the Sahel States Alliance.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mali stated - in an online publication - that the three countries “confirmed their commitment to resolutely moving forward with the process of implementing the Sahel coalition and establishing a union between the three countries.”

The countries did not reveal the details of how the proposed union would work or the extent of the closeness of the planned coordination between them in political, economic and security interests in their fight to stop a decade-long battle with extremist rebels that led to destabilization of that region.

The coup leaders in these three countries had previously confirmed several times - since the middle of last year - what they called the “Sahel Alliance” or the “Liptako-Gorma” region alliance, which is the historical name of the border region between the three countries, in confronting any armed force that threatens them, whether it is Internally or externally, they called on the rest of the countries of the region to join it, which is a step that would reinforce the idea of ​​military coups, according to observers.

The historical roots of this alliance extend back to 1970, when these three countries - shortly after independence - decided to establish the Liptako-Gorma Integrated Development Authority, commonly referred to as the Liptako-Gorma Authority (LGA), to enhance economic cooperation between the countries of this landlocked region ( Landlocked), with an area of ​​more than half a million square kilometers, is considered the poorest economically despite its richness in enormous natural resources, according to African affairs expert Badr Hassan Al-Shafi’i.

Al-Shafi’i believes that this alliance could be directed against both France, which is losing influence in its three colonies, as well as against the ECOWAS group.

It is considered that this alliance may be used to justify the use of armed force against any political or armed force that desires the return of the ousted democratic regimes in these three countries. This alliance will also be activated in the face of ECOWAS, which may seek, under the 2001 Good Governance Protocol, military intervention to confront coups and restore... Democratic systems of government.

Perhaps what is new in this alliance is the agreement to establish the foundational structures to implement it on the ground after it has been a formal alliance for 6 years, according to the expert on African affairs.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies