The Alliance of the Sahel states (AES), consisting of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have presented its new flag.
- The Alliance of the Sahel states (AES) presented a new flag to the president of Mali Assimi Goïta.
- The AES consists of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, and recently withdrew from ECOWAS.
- They withdrew due to concerns about former colonial powers’ influence and the bloc’s incapacity to support counterterrorism operations.
The flag was presented to the president of Mali Assimi Goïta on Monday, during an event, that had in attendance, the delegation of ministers from the Confederation of Sahel States.
“A very beautiful flag that will be brought to the attention of all the peoples of the AES,” said Célestin Simporé, the Minister of Defense of Burkina Faso.
The minister disclosed that this visit came after last week’s gathering of experts and ministerial delegations in Bamako.
The discussions intended to be had between the AES and ECOWAS in the sessions primarily include the AES’s withdrawal from its former regional bloc, Sputnik reports.
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, the three military-led West African nations, officially withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on the 29th of January, 2025.
They had declared their intention to leave their long-standing regional organization a year earlier, pointing to the bloc’s subservience to former colonial powers and its incapacity to support their counterterrorism operations.
In addition, for a little over a year, the AES has been working to remove all signs of Western influence from their nation. This includes renaming monuments with colonial names and ending military ties with France.
Despite this, ECOWAS stated that it will “keep its door open” to any of the nations who choose to rejoin the group.
ECOWAS confirmed that passports and identity cards with their insignia will remain valid for travel within the region.
Furthermore, commercial and economic activity will continue under the current ECOWAS commercial Liberalisation Scheme, which ensures the free flow of products and services between the three nations.
The departure of the three West African countries from ECOWAS, notably as founding members of the group since its inception in 1975, has splintered the organization, raising concerns about its future relevance and impact in the region.
