Burkina: Lansana Kouyaté with Traoré, ECOWAS attempts to reestablish dialogue with the AES
The ECOWAS mediator to the AES, Lansana Kouyaté, was received in Ouagadougou by Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traoré for discussions focused on regional security, stability, and free movement. This first Sahelian stop marks the operational beginning of a delicate mediation between an ECOWAS weakened by the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and an AES that asserts its autonomy while wishing to maintain some practical ties with the West African space.
SUMMARY
Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traoré met on Monday, May 25, in Ouagadougou with Lansana Kouyaté, the mediator of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), as part of the consultations begun between the two regional blocs. The meeting was confirmed by the Communication Directorate of the Presidency of Faso.
At the end of the meeting, Kouyaté stated that the discussions had focused on “fairly complex issues regarding the security and stability of our countries.” The mediator expressed his hope for “exemplary cooperation” between ECOWAS and AES, noting that “geography unites these two entities.” He specified that the priority is to allow populations to continue to move freely between the two areas, and mentioned that Traoré had given “informed instructions,” without specifying their content. No joint statement was released following the meeting.
This is Kouyaté’s first Sahelian step since his appointment on March 25, 2026, by the ECOWAS Commission. The former Guinean Prime Minister, aged 75, had previously carried out a tour of consultations with the heads of state members of ECOWAS: Alassane Ouattara in Côte d’Ivoire on April 30, Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Senegal on May 8, and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. His deployment in the Sahelian capitals—Ouagadougou, then, according to available information, Bamako and Niamey—marks the operational phase of his mission.
A mediator with an institutional profile
Lansana Kouyaté is not a stranger to West African diplomacy. Born in Koba, Guinea, he served as the ECOWAS Executive Secretary from 1997 to 2002, then as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Somalia. He also held the office of Prime Minister of Guinea and has been involved in mediations during the Ivorian, Liberian, and Guinea-Bissau crises.
His appointment was formally announced by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray. It came after previous mediation attempts failed: Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was appointed mediator by ECOWAS in July 2024, with no results. Ghanaian President John Mahama conducted a tour of the three Sahelian capitals in March 2025, also without success.
The sub-regional organization specified that Kouyaté has a mandate of ninety days to advance discussions, starting from his appointment.
A withdrawal realized but links to preserve
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger officially left ECOWAS in January 2025 to form the AES, of which Traoré serves as the rotating presidency. The three states—run by military juntas that came to power between 2020 and 2023—have repeatedly asserted the irreversible nature of their withdrawal.
Among the pending issues are the transfer of the West African Health Organization from Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) to Abidjan, the relocation of certain regional infrastructures, and the access of AES countries to funding from the ECOWAS Investment and Development Bank (BIDC). The three states also wish to retain the benefits of free movement of people and goods, which has not been formally suspended despite the institutional rupture.
Ouattara expressed his skepticism during the April 30 meeting about the realized break, questioning “how one can leave such a united organization.” Senegal’s Faye, for his part, advocated for de-escalation and a consultation-based approach. Neither Bamako nor Niamey has publicly reacted to the Ouagadougou visit at this stage.
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