Last Thursday, Burkina Faso’s top diplomat, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, convened a meeting with Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires in Ouagadougou. The session also included representatives from Mali and Niger, reflecting the unified stance of the AES member states. This diplomatic engagement followed Bola Tinubu’s remarks delivered at a gathering with Nigerian traditional leaders on July 30, where he linked Nigeria’s security woes to spillover effects from neighboring Sahel nations.

What sparked the diplomatic reaction

According to Tinubu, certain armed factions operating in Nigeria originate from Burkina Faso, Mali, or Niger, intensifying Abuja’s security challenges. The AES countries, however, view this assessment as incomplete. During the meeting, Traoré emphasized that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have invested significant resources—both militarily and through community initiatives—to combat terrorism. He highlighted that while Nigeria has long battled Boko Haram, the Sahel states have refrained from publicly attributing regional terrorism to Abuja, despite documented connections between some militant groups.

The Burkinabè Foreign Minister underscored that the military operations undertaken by the three AES nations not only protect their own populations but also enhance regional stability by restricting the operational capacity of jihadist networks across West Africa. He urged Nigerian officials to prioritize rhetoric that reinforces solidarity among countries facing shared threats. Cooperation, he argued, remains indispensable in the fight against West African terrorism.

Following the discussions, Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires acknowledged the message conveyed by Burkina Faso’s leadership and committed to forwarding it to Abuja for further consideration, as confirmed by Ouagadougou’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.