Sahel Alliance Reviews Diplomacy, Expands International Influence

By Al Mayadeen English

24 Jun 2026 21:22

Foreign ministers of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso met in Bamako to assess Sahel Alliance diplomacy, coordinate positions, and plan UN General Assembly preparations.

The foreign ministers of the Sahel States Alliance met in the Malian capital Bamako to assess progress in implementing the bloc’s diplomatic agenda and discuss upcoming steps to strengthen its presence and influence regionally and internationally.

The ministers stressed the importance of continuing coordination and unifying political and diplomatic positions among the three countries, enabling the bloc to speak with one voice on major African and international issues and enhancing its presence in international organizations and forums.

Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, said the meeting provided an opportunity to review relations with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and to follow up on the implementation of the joint action plan previously agreed between the two sides.

For his part, Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangaré said the alliance had made “tangible progress” in the security field through the activation of a joint military force, noting that the bloc is increasingly being recognized as an important geopolitical actor in the Sahel and West Africa.

The ministers also discussed a unified diplomatic roadmap for the bloc and instructed continued technical work to establish more integrated diplomatic representation mechanisms, as well as joint preparations for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for next September.

US re-engages for minerals 

Formed in 2023 following the withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS, the Sahel States Alliance was created as a framework for closer regional coordination, with its members also moving to reduce and restructure Western military presence in their territories amid a broader shift toward sovereignty-driven security policies.

The region’s vast mineral wealth, particularly Mali’s lithium, Niger’s uranium, and Burkina Faso’s gold, has become a geopolitical battleground. Niger’s junta recently seized control of its main uranium mine from French company Orano and is reportedly courting Russia as a new partner. Russia has deployed over 1,000 contractors to Mali and maintains smaller forces in Burkina Faso and Niger, while continuing to develop extensive strategic partnerships with Burkina Faso.

As for the US, it is re-engaging Sahel states primarily because the region holds strategic minerals—uranium, gold, lithium, rare earths—vital to energy security, defense, and the green transition. As minerals replace oil as the core geopolitical asset, Washington is seeking to secure future supply chains amid growing competition with China and Russia, both of which have expanded their footprint in Sahel mining through security-for-resources deals.

Coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and especially Niger exposed how quickly Western access to critical resources can unravel. Re-engagement reflects a shift away from counterterrorism toward resource and economic diplomacy, even if it means softening positions on military rule.