In brief
During a working visit to Niamey, Niger’s President Abdourahamane Tiani and Mali’s transitional president Assimi Goita reaffirmed their partnership within the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) and pledged to intensify security, diplomatic, and developmental cooperation. They condemned mercenary interference and thanked the AES Unified Force for its anti‑terrorism gains, while agreeing to coordinate future visits and policies. The communique leaves the precise date of Tiani’s upcoming visit to Mali and the long‑term impact of the AES Unified Force open for further diplomacy.
Niger and Mali reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) and to intensify the fight against terrorism during a meeting at Niamey’s Diori Hamani International Airport on November 6, 2026, Xinhua reported.
During the visit, Malian transitional president Assimi Goita was received by Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tiani, and the two leaders met privately before chairing an expanded working session attended by delegations from both countries.
The discussion focused on the security situation across the AES region, as well as advances in defence, security, diplomacy and development. Xinhua noted that both leaders welcomed the results achieved by the AES Unified Force in combating terrorist groups and reaffirmed their determination to eradicate terrorism in all its forms.
They also condemned attempts to destabilise the member states by mercenaries allegedly backed by foreign governments, calling for that interference to cease.
On the diplomatic front, the communique states that the leaders welcomed the coordination of positions and initiatives of AES states, saying it had helped strengthen the confederation’s visibility and standing at subregional, African and international levels.
Both leaders highlighted joint efforts to coordinate policies and programmes in fields such as the free movement of people and goods, transport infrastructure, agro‑industrial development, and the exploitation of energy and mineral resources, Xinhua wrote.
Goita invited Tiani to pay an official visit to Mali, an invitation the Nigerien president accepted. The date of that visit will be determined through diplomatic channels, the communique added.
The Confederation of Sahel States, established in July 2024 by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, provides a framework for cooperation among the three countries in defence and security, diplomacy and development, Xinhua added.
While the communique praised the AES Unified Force’s progress, it did not specify the quantitative outcomes of that force, leaving assessments of its impact to future statements.
Similarly, the exact date and agenda of President Tiani’s forthcoming visit to Mali remain undetermined, and the long‑term effectiveness of the coordinated policies on free movement, infrastructure and resource exploitation has not yet been evaluated by the participating states.
Future communiqués will need to clarify these items and provide tangible metrics for the AES’s anti‑terrorism and development objectives.
