The Sahel States Confederation (AES) continues to establish its institutional framework. In Ouagadougou, the heads of parliament from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met with Confederation President Captain Ibrahim Traoré to receive his directives ahead of the official inauguration of the confederal parliament.
Following the meeting, officials announced that the selection of deputies is expected shortly, paving the way for the inaugural session of this new assembly. The confederal parliament will be tasked with representing the populations of the three states, supporting the work of AES institutions, and helping consolidate the political project championed by the authorities of all three nations.
This initiative marks another step in the institutional development of the Alliance of Sahel States, which aims to create its own governance organs following its withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
However, this meeting takes place against a backdrop of serious security concerns. In recent weeks, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have experienced a surge in jihadist attacks, some of unprecedented scale, resulting in heavy casualties among defense forces and civilian populations. For some observers, the fact that top AES parliamentary authorities are convening to fast-track the creation of a parliament, while no similar high-level meeting has been announced specifically to address the worsening security crisis, raises questions about the prioritization of issues.
This perception fuels criticism from those who believe AES leaders are now prioritizing the building of new political institutions, while the urgent security situation continues to weigh heavily on the populace. Without questioning the long-term value of a confederal parliament, these critics argue that such a focus could be misinterpreted at a time when citizens primarily expect concrete responses to the escalating attacks.
Beyond its institutional significance, this development is also seen by some analysts as the onset of a more pronounced political division in West Africa. By gradually building its own institutions, the AES asserts its autonomy from ECOWAS, potentially deepening the rift between the two regional blocs and complicating prospects for broader political and security cooperation.
