DAKAR — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have resumed formal ministerial-level talks with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), nearly 21 months after the three military-led countries withdrew from the regional bloc, BusinessDay and News Central TV reported.

Source: BusinessDay NG

At the meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday, October 17, the two sides agreed to establish joint thematic working groups to identify areas of common interest and develop recommendations for a proposed cooperation framework. The working groups will report to ministers before the next session; no date for that session was announced, and the talks did not produce a new trade agreement.

Source: BusinessDay NG

A joint communiqué welcomed what both sides described as a spirit of fraternity, mutual respect and openness, and stressed good neighbourly relations and respect for national sovereignty, News Central TV reported. Senegal's Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang, who chairs the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, led the bloc's delegation, while Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré led the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) delegation.

Source: News Central TV

Cooperation framework, not a return

The three countries announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS in January 2024 after military coups and disputes over sanctions and transitions to civilian rule, and their departure formally took effect on January 29, 2025. They had formed the AES as their own confederation. Saturday's meeting was the first official ministerial engagement since the split, although contacts had continued in the meantime.

Source: News Central TV

The Dakar agreement concerns a framework for cooperation between the two sides and does not announce the three countries' return to ECOWAS. Their withdrawal had raised concerns across West Africa about trade, the movement of people and cooperation against armed groups operating across borders.