On 6 July 2024, the military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso signed a new pact to form a confederation, a political union of sovereign states. The confederation's stated goal is to provide mutual defense, pool resources to build energy and communications infrastructure, establish a common market, implement a monetary union under proposed currency the Sahel, allow free movement of persons, enable industrialization, and invest in agriculture, mines and energy sectors, with the end goal of federalizing into a single sovereign state. The move is seen as a strong move away from ECOWAS, which has been pressing for a return to civilian rule.
On 6 July 2024 the military leaders of Niger Mali and Burkina Faso signed a new pact to form a confederation a political union of sovereign states The confederation's stated goal is to provide mutual defense pool resources to build energy and communications infrastructure establish a common market implement a monetary union under proposed currency the Sahel allow free movement of persons enable industrialization and invest in agriculture mines and energy sectors with the end goal of federalizing into a single sovereign state The move is seen as a strong move away from ECOWAS which has been pressing for a return to civilian rule