Senegal’s youngest leader, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been mandated by West African regional bloc ECOWAS to mediate the return of junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger back to its fold.
The decision was made at the 65th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS heads of state on Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Abuja.
As a peace envoy supported by Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, Faye is seen as possibly the best among heads of state for a mission to try to woo the three nations back to the fold of regional cooperation, the AP reported.
“Regarding the situation with the Alliance des Etats du Sahel (AES), the Authority expresses disappointment with the lack of progress in engagements with the authorities of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and instructs the President of the Commission to facilitate a more vigorous approach in line with the decisions of the Extraordinary Summit of 2 4th February 2024,” ECOWAS said in a statement after an summit which saw Nigerian president Bola Tinubu re-elected as chairman of the bloc.
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The events are also coming at a surprising time when a day before the ECOWAS summit, military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger signed a confederation treaty that aims to strengthen a mutual defence pact announced last year, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Read Also: Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso Military Leaders Sign New Pact, Rebuff ECOWAS
However, ECOWAS fears that the region risks disintegration and worsening insecurity after the exit of the three countries.
And so in addition to the task to have Faye hold talks with the junta-led countries, the Authority of heads of states directed the “Commission to develop a forward-looking contingency plan for its consideration regarding all eventualities in relations with the AES countries.
