The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the ECOWAS was presented as an assertion of sovereignty, yet it has inadvertently complicated cross-border travel for citizens and goods within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). While the move aimed to distance these nations from regional policies, it has created new hurdles for mobility across West Africa.
Travel documents—including passports, national IDs and driver’s licenses—now face heightened scrutiny. Nigerien truck driver Almou Yacouba describes the persistent challenges faced when entering ECOWAS member countries:
“We’re running into issues with the international vehicle registration and international driver’s permits. The ECOWAS insurance requirement is especially problematic for us in the AES zone. Even within ECOWAS borders, travelers are questioned—take a Nigerien ID to Côte d’Ivoire, for example, and officials may claim it’s invalid because it shows the manufacturing date but not the expiration. Before, there were ECOWAS-standard IDs for travel. Now that we’re no longer part of ECOWAS, some border officials still expect them. Travel paperwork has become a major headache.”
audio challenges at the border
bribery and red tape persist within AES
Despite pledges from Sahel governments to streamline movement, transporters and travelers still encounter arbitrary inspections and demands for informal payments at border crossings—even between AES member states.
Chaibou Tchiombiano, Secretary-General of the Nigerien Importers and Exporters Association, highlights the gap between policy and reality:
“We should enjoy free movement of people and goods. Unfortunately, we keep facing these same problems.”
“Our hope, he continues, is for a unified AES passport that would allow seamless travel across the Alliance’s territory.”
Documentation remains a critical obstacle for citizens of the three AES countries. In response, Niamey hosted a December 2025 ministerial meeting on transport to address the free movement of people and goods within the AES—following the trio’s exit from the Economic Community of West African States.
