Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to launch new union passports

These three neighbouring Sahel countries jointly announced in January that they would leave ECOWAS, a 15-member bloc, although ECOWAS has tried to persuade them to change their minds.

The heads of the military governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Photo: Reuters

Burkina Faso announced earlier this month that it would issue new passports without the ECOWAS logo.

"In the coming days, the new biometric passport of the Union of Sahel States (AES) will be put into use to unify travel documents in our common region and facilitate the movement of our citizens around the world ," Mali's army chief Assimi Goita said on Sunday.

The joint information channel that the three countries plan to launch is also intended to ensure the harmonious transmission of information, avoiding the influence of external information sources. This could help strengthen information control in the region, in the context that all three countries are facing internal conflicts and the increasing influence of terrorist groups.

ECOWAS has warned that the withdrawal of the three countries would affect freedom of movement and the common market of the 400 million people living in the 49-year-old bloc.

The withdrawal from ECOWAS not only raises concerns about the freedom of movement and trade of more than 400 million people in the bloc, but also raises concerns about the ability to cooperate on security and deal with common threats.

The Sahel region has long been plagued by an insurgency by extremist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), which has killed thousands and displaced millions. West African coastal countries also fear that the violence and instability in the Sahel could spread and affect them.

In this context, the creation of the AES Alliance could be a way for the three Sahel states to consolidate their power and enhance regional security cooperation. However, it also comes with the risk of undermining broader regional cooperation, especially in dealing with transnational threats.

Cao Phong (according to CNA, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/mali-burkina-faso-va-niger-se-ra-mat-ho-chieu-lien-minh-moi-post312549.html