Diplatie: the failed coup in Benin at the heart of an AES countries summit

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Among the items on the agenda is the attempted coup thwarted in Benin on Sunday, December 7, Africaho learned from diplomatic sources.

The event that took place in Cotonou features prominently in discussions among the leaders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The authorities of these countries, two of which share a direct border with Benin, intend to exchange information and align their positions in response to what they consider a threat to regional stability.

In Cotonou, President Patrice Talon has already announced severe sanctions against the perpetrators and the sponsors of this attempted destabilization.
The summit brings together the military leaders of the three member countries of the Alliance.

General Assimi Goïta, Mali’s head of state, is hosting in Bamako General Abdourahamane Tiani, president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland in Niger, as well as Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who leads Burkina Faso. The meetings are taking place in a security context that is particularly sensitive for the Sahelian region.

Security is, moreover, the central focus of the work. The heads of state are to meet with the command of the Unified Force of the Alliance of Sahel States, recently established. This joint force, made up of Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabè contingents, is tasked with fighting armed groups and cross-border threats.

It is part of the new security architecture adopted by these countries after their withdrawal from the G5 Sahel.
Beyond military matters, the Bamako summit also addresses projects for cooperation and integration.

The foreign ministers of the three states recently signed a protocol relating to the creation of a joint television channel for the Alliance, which will be headquartered in the Malian capital. Discussions also cover the Alliance’s planned investment bank, presented as a strategic lever to strengthen the economic autonomy of the member countries.

This Bamako meeting thus fits into a dynamic of political, security and institutional consolidation of the Alliance of Sahel States, in a regional context marked by persistent tensions and major geopolitical reshaping.