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The
foreign ministers of the three military-ruled West African
nations shared their countries positions during a meeting Monday
with King Mohammed VI in Rabat, the capital of Morocco,
according to a ministry statement.
The three-nation block of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced
last year that they were leaving the regional bloc known as
ECOWAS. They then created their own security partnership, known
as the Alliance of Sahel States, severed military ties with
longstanding Western partners such as U.S. and France, and
turned to Russia for military support.
In December 2023, Morocco announced a trade initiative to
facilitate Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger's access to the Atlantic
Ocean using Moroccan ports after ECOWAS imposed trade
restrictions on the the three junta-led countries.
The foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger reaffirmed
their “full support for and commitment to accelerating its
implementation,” during the royal meeting, the ministry said.
The meeting comes at a time of growing tensions between
Morocco's regional rival Algeria and the Sahel states.
Last month, Algeria says it shot down a Malian drone when it
crossed into its air space near the border town of Tin Zaouatine.
Mali denied the drone crossed the border.
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