The nation’s foreign minister says entry into the Alliance of Sahel States is “not impossible”
Togo’s foreign minister has hinted that his country could join the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which was recently formed by the military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger after they decided to withdraw from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS.
Foreign Minister Robert Dussey made the comments during an interview with PanAfrican TV, Voxafrica, on Thursday.
“It’s not impossible,” the diplomat said in response to a question about whether Togo plans to join the AES, adding, “It is the decision of the President of the Republic.”
“Ask the Togolese people if Togo wants to join the AES… Their answer, I would say that they will say yes,” he said.
Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali established the AES in 2023 with the goal of defending each other from security threats and combating terrorism and cross-border crime in the Sahel region.
In January 2023, the three allies jointly announced that they were leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the 15-nation grouping of posing a threat to their sovereignty by serving as a tool for foreign powers, including France. The bloc, home to over 400 million people, had threatened to send a French-backed military force into Niger to restore democratic rule after Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown in July 2023.
Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey have severed defense ties with Paris, citing meddling and the failure of its soldiers to quell jihadist violence in the Sahel despite their engagement for more than a decade. The three former French colonies are officially set to leave the political and economic bloc on January 29.
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe, along with his Senegalese counterpart, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has been tasked with negotiating the return of Sahel leaders to ECOWAS by July 29.
However, the AES leaders have insisted that their decision to exit ECOWAS is “irreversible.” Last May, Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine invited members of the West African regional grouping to join the AES, which he said promotes the sovereignty and dignity of the African continent.
While relations between the three landlocked countries and several of their West African neighbors, including Nigeria and Benin, have deteriorated following coups, Togo has maintained close ties with them.
Last year, Togolese forces joined Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, plus Chad for counterterrorism exercises, according to local media. In July, the former French colony reportedly signed an agreement with AES member states to grant them access to the port in its capital, Lome, with reduced tariffs.
