The heads of state of the three West African countries, Colonel Assimi Goita of Mali, Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, and General Abdourahamane Tiani of Niger, will meet in Niamey on July 6. This will be the first ordinary summit of heads of state and governments of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to discuss the common challenges facing their countries and to identify concerted regional solutions.
According to the bloc, this "historic summit" will mark the official launch of the AES, a regional organization created by the three countries to pool their efforts to combat insecurity and promote socio-economic development in the Sahel region.
Earlier, only ministerial summits had taken place, involving the heads of diplomacy or the defense ministers of the three countries.
AES was created in September last year as a coalition focused on promoting development, security, and stability in the Sahel region of Africa. The alliance collaborates on projects and initiatives to address the root causes of poverty, conflict, and instability in the region.