ECOWAS–AES: When Moscow’s appeal reveals the fault lines and opportunities for a new West African regionalism
West Africa stands at a historic turning point. Amid geopolitical realignments, urgent security crises, and assertively embraced sovereigntist aspirations, the continent can no longer afford the luxury of strategic fragmentation. It is within this context that Russia’s call for a rapprochement between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) gains its full political significance. Beyond the diplomatic language, what is truly at stake is the future of regional integration and endogenous Sahelian development.
By advocating for a “pragmatic and mutually beneficial dialogue,” Moscow is not merely assuming the role of a mediator.
Russia is engaging in a logic of regional stabilization that acknowledges a truth often dismissed by Western foreign ministries: terrorism, cross-border crime, and socio-economic collapse recognize neither administrative borders nor institutional ruptures. The security of the Sahel is inseparable from that of West Africa as a whole.
For the AES countries, this dynamic opens a strategic window. Maintaining functional links with ECOWAS through mechanisms such as GIABA or the Bank for Investment and Development allows them to preserve access to financing, secure structural projects, and avoid economic suffocation.
In the medium term, this articulation could strengthen state capacities, support infrastructure, stimulate public investment, and consolidate growth oriented toward the real needs of the population.
But the stakes extend beyond the economy; they are profoundly political. This rapprochement, if realized, would establish a new model of regional cooperation founded no longer on ideological alignment, but on sovereignty, mutual respect, and the collective management of threats.
For ECOWAS, accepting this dialogue amounts to recognizing the irreversibility of the ongoing transformations. For the AES, it is about turning rupture into a lever for rebuilding.
Thus, the call of Russia acts as a revealer: West Africa can only develop by reconciling security, regional integration, and political sovereignty.
Fayçal Badie
