Sahel alliance ministers review second-year roadmap in Ouagadougou
Ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger met on 11 and 12 November to assess progress across defence, diplomacy and development.
Ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger met in Ouagadougou on 11 and 12 November 2026 for a session of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) council of ministers. The meeting, opened by Defence Minister Célestin Simporé, reviewed how the second-year roadmap of the confederation has been carried out.
Simporé called for more pooling of resources, including intelligence, and greater strategic autonomy for member states. On diplomacy, he said the three countries want to speak with one voice internationally while diversifying their partnerships. On development, he stressed economic integration, easier trade and the use of natural resources, which he said should create lasting opportunities for young people.
The ministers are due to produce a synthesis note on progress in each of the three pillars. Simporé described the session as a strategic review ahead of the next meeting of the confederation's heads of state. He also thanked Mali for its support over Burkinabè gold prospectors expelled from Guinea.
Why it mattersThe next heads of state meeting will decide the alliance's direction, and the synthesis note will set out what each member state has delivered so far.