AES: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger want to better coordinate their borders

The borders between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger could soon become an area of ​​more organized cooperation. The three ESA countries have begun work in Ouagadougou to establish a common framework for cross-border cooperation.

At the heart of the discussions are two texts. The first is an additional protocol to the treaty establishing the Confederation of Sahel States, dedicated to cross-border cooperation. The second provides for the creation of a consultation framework bringing together the administrative authorities of the border regions of the three countries.

The idea is to enable officials from neighboring territories to work together more closely on issues that transcend national borders. Border security, the fight against terrorism and cross-border crime, and the management of shared natural resources are among the areas concerned.

The system should also facilitate the movement of people and goods and promote economic exchange between border regions. The governors of the regions concerned will be able to share their experiences and pool certain resources.

For all three countries, this initiative aims to provide a more structured framework for relations between communities located on either side of the borders. The texts under discussion must now be validated and adopted to allow for the effective implementation of this mechanism.

Yolande Bazié