Nigeria: renewed tension with the AES over the fight against terrorism

Tensions have again risen between Nigeria and the three AES members — Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — following comments made on July 30 by Bola Ahmed Tinubu during a meeting with Nigerian traditional leaders. The Nigerian president attributed part of the insecurity and kidnappings in the northern part of the country to terrorist elements from neighboring Sahelian states.

The reaction came from Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré. In a statement published on Friday, August 7, he reminded that the four countries were facing a common threat. “Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria face the same enemy,” the document stated.

The representatives of the three AES countries, gathered in Ouagadougou, also summoned the Nigerian chargé d’affaires to express their disapproval. They described the Nigerian president’s statements as “inaccurate,” believing they minimized the efforts made by Sahelian armies in the fight against armed groups.

“The real enemies are elsewhere”

Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré rejected any responsibility of AES countries for the insecurity affecting northern Nigeria. “We are not responsible for what is happening to us. The real enemies are elsewhere,” he stated, according to the press release.

The security situation has significantly worsened in recent years in northwestern Nigeria, particularly along the border with Niger. This region is facing attacks from armed groups and a rise in kidnappings, amid a context marked by the presence of jihadist factions and criminal networks.

Relations between Abuja and its Sahelian neighbors had already deteriorated after the coup that ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023. Nigeria, which had then supported regional efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger, has since seen its relations with AES authorities strain.