Landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger turn to Morocco for trade lifeline
The announcement was made on Monday during a meeting with King Mohammed VI in Rabat, according to the Moroccan state news agency.
The three landlocked countries, currently ruled by military juntas following recent coups, withdrew from the ECOWAS region in 2024 and have since sought alternative partnerships to circumvent trade restrictions and diplomatic isolation.
Since the formation of the AES alliance, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have distanced themselves from their traditional Western partners, expelled French forces, and deepened military cooperation with Russia.
Morocco's offer represents a vital lifeline for the AES, giving it potential access to global markets while reducing its dependence on ECOWAS border states such as Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal.
The Moroccan initiative, first announced in November 2023, provides access to Morocco's Atlantic ports to facilitate trade for the AES bloc.
The project is seen as a strategic move by Morocco to strengthen its regional influence while promoting economic development in the Sahel region.
"This initiative contributes to diversifying our access to the sea," Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told local media.
The Moroccan news agency described the meeting in Rabat as part of the kingdom's "strong and long-standing relations with the three brotherly countries of the Sahel Alliance." The support comes at a time of rising tensions between the AES bloc and Algeria, Morocco's regional rival.
Morocco has invested heavily in the region, particularly in agriculture and banking, and is currently building a $1 billion port in Dakhla, within the disputed Western Sahara territory, to develop its maritime infrastructure and assert control.
In December, Morocco played a key diplomatic role in brokering the release of four French citizens imprisoned in Burkina Faso. This came shortly after France recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, further aligning Rabat with the Sahel's emerging leadership.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Advocates call on Sens. Lee, Curtis, to revive payments to downwinders in ‘big, beautiful' bill
Steve Erickson, an advocate for downwinders, speaks to reporters about a possible RECA expansion in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch) It's been one year since Congress allowed the program offering payments to downwinders to expire. Now, advocates are hoping the Senate will revive the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, as part of the 'big, beautiful' bill. That includes Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who told reporters on Tuesday he's 'hoping something can get done.' RECA had been in place since 1990, offering payments to uranium workers and downwinders, people who contracted cancer from above-ground nuclear tests. For years it was criticized for being too narrow — despite studies suggesting the entire West was blanketed by dangerous levels of radiation during nuclear tests, downwinders in just 10 counties in Utah, as well as a handful of counties in Nevada and Arizona, were covered. And since the program expired last June, Congress has been unable to bring RECA back, stymied by spending concerns. Although the Senate passed a bill sponsored by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley that would greatly expand the program, it hasn't been considered in the House. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX During a press conference in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, advocates called on Utah Republican Sens. John Curtis and Mike Lee to get behind an amendment to Congress' budget bill similar to what Hawley has proposed. 'There's a real possibility that a RECA reauthorization and expansion could be included in H.R.1,' said Steve Erickson, a longtime advocate for downwinders. 'But this will need the support of Utah's congressional delegation, especially the full-throated support from Senator Lee and Senator Curtis. Without their support, the prospects for RECA are much diminished.' Neither Curtis or Lee's offices responded to a request for comment. Dozens of Utah lawmakers call on Congress to resume payments to downwinders When asked about RECA during his monthly PBS news conference on Tuesday, Cox said he's hopeful Congress will find a way to bring the program back during budget reconciliation. Cox, along with a coalition of 41 Utah lawmakers, have previously supported efforts to expand the program, specifically Hawley's bill. Hawley's bill would expand the program to cover all of Utah and a handful of other Western states that weren't previously included in RECA, while extending coverage to communities around St. Louis and territories in the Pacific that were impacted by nuclear weapons testing development. 'We'll continue to express support for that,' Cox said on Tuesday. 'The repercussions of that above-ground nuclear testing in Utah are very long lasting and many of us had family members that have been impacted. So I think it's still important. Utah is not alone but Utah was significantly impacted.' However, the governor noted there haven't been any new developments in his talks with the congressional delegation. People who submitted their claims before the deadline last summer can still receive payments — but there's no option for downwinders who were just recently diagnosed with cancer, or didn't know about the program. '(We) continue to receive emails and phone calls from affected community members here in Utah who have received cancer diagnosis, asking where to apply and what to do,' said Carmen Valdez, a senior policy associate for the Health Environment Alliance of Utah. 'It's really discouraging to say that the program is expired and they can no longer apply, but they can contact their delegation about it.' RECA has always had bipartisan support. Originally sponsored by late Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, both Democrats and Republicans have since advocated for its expansion. That includes Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who have lobbied with Hawley to expand the program. 'This is not a partisan play by any means,' said Erickson. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Springsteen's Berlin concert echoes with history and a stark warning
BERLIN (AP) — Veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump, slammed the U.S. administration as 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' during a concert Wednesday in Berlin. He was addressing tens of thousands of fans at a stadium built for the 1936 Olympic Games that still bears the scars of World War II and contains relics from the country's dark Nazi past. 'Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism, and let freedom reign,' he said. Springsteen, long a political opponent of the president, has made increasingly pointed and contentious public statements in recent concerts. He denounced Trump's politics during a concert last month in Manchester, calling him an 'unfit president' leading a 'rogue government' of people who have 'no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.' Springsteen is no stranger to Berlin. In July 1988, he became one of the first Western musicians to perform in East Germany, performing to a ravenous crowd of 160,000 East Germans yearning for American rock 'n' roll and the freedom it represented to the youth living under the crumbling communist regime. An Associated Press news story from that period says 'fireworks steaked through the sky' and hundreds of people in the audience waved handmade American flags as they sang along to 'Born in the USA.' Almost four decades later, Springsteen issued a stark warning: 'The America that I love, the America that I've sung to you about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US threatens allies: we will retaliate if you attend UN Palestine summit
Donald Trump's administration has threatened allies with consequences if they attend an upcoming UN conference on a possible two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The diplomatic demarche, sent on Tuesday, says countries that take 'anti-Israel actions' following the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to US foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from Washington, Reuters reported. France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting the gathering next week in New York that aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. 'We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, lifesaving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages,' read the cable. Emmanuel Macron has suggested France could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory at the conference. French officials say they have been working to avoid a clash with the US, Israel's staunchest major ally. 'The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies,' the cable read. This week Britain and Canada, also G7 allies of the United States, were joined by other countries in placing sanctions on two Israeli far-Right government ministers to pressure prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the Gaza war to an end. 'The United States opposes the implied support of the conference for potential actions including boycotts and sanctions on Israel as well as other punitive measures,' the cable read. Israel has repeatedly criticised the conference, saying it rewards Islamist Hamas militants for the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, and it has lobbied France against recognising a Palestinian state. The US State Department and the French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
