Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has launched a regional diplomatic drive aimed at mending ties between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
As the new chair of ECOWAS, Mr Bio is touring West African capitals in a bid to rebuild trust and strengthen regional solidarity. His recent visits have included Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, and Cape Verde, where he emphasised the importance of inclusive dialogue to prevent further divisions in the region.
“The president is banking on a gradual strategy to warm relations between ECOWAS and the Sahel countries,” officials close to the mission explained, noting that the effort could pave the way for informal talks ahead of upcoming sub-regional summits.
Central to the initiative is the challenge of re-engaging Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—three countries that withdrew from ECOWAS following military-led transitions between 2020 and 2023. The three states later formed the Alliance of Sahel States, seeking to chart their own path in security and foreign policy.
The rupture emerged after ECOWAS imposed sanctions in response to the regime changes, a move that the Sahel states strongly opposed. In turn, they established parallel frameworks for defence and diplomacy, demanding greater independence from regional oversight.
Mr Bio, however, believes reconciliation remains possible. While no timeline has been set for formal negotiations, his approach rests on incremental gestures aimed at reducing tensions and fostering cooperation.
Analysts say the stakes are high. A continued split could weaken ECOWAS’s common market and free movement agreements, while also complicating regional responses to cross-border challenges, from security threats to migration.
For ECOWAS, the priority is to preserve the cooperative mechanisms built since the 1970s and to prevent lasting fragmentation of the West African bloc.
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