President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional cooperation amidst growing political fractures in West Africa.
Tinubu made these remarks on Thursday in Abuja while receiving Cheick Oumar Coulibaly, Mali’s ambassador to Nigeria.
The meeting comes as tensions mount between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Chaired by Tinubu, and the breakaway Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – a new bloc formed by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso had withdrawn from the ECOWAS, deepening diplomatic fault lines in the region.
“We should strengthen our bilateral relations, and it is hoped that Mali will achieve its democratic goals,” Tinubu said, according to a statement released by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.
The president emphasised Nigeria’s willingness to support Mali’s political transition and expressed a broader view of African unity.
“We are open to any support we can render. I want you to see yourself as a member of the family here,” Tinubu said. “For me, we are one in West Africa and Africa.”
“The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has made its position clear, but no nation can succeed alone. We see Mali as a brother and are ready to collaborate and exchange ideas. he added.
Tinubu’s message underscores Nigeria’s balancing act, maintaining its leadership role within ECOWAS while attempting to keep communication open with the three military-led states that have rejected the bloc’s authority.
DON’T MISS THIS: Namibia deporting U.S. citizens? We fact-checked it and here is the truth
The Sahel brothers
Burkina Faso’s head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, alongside Mali’s Assimi Goïta and Niger’s Abdourahamane Tiani, have positioned the AES as a counterweight to what they describe as foreign-influenced and ineffective regional leadership.
The three juntas have justified their ECOWAS exit on grounds of sovereignty and security autonomy, especially in the face of growing anti-French sentiment and a pivot towards Russia and other non-Western powers.
This withdrawal followed sanctions and suspensions imposed by ECOWAS on the three countries after their military takeovers.
In response, the AES bloc has moved to coordinate their security, economic, and political strategies outside the ECOWAS framework, challenging Nigeria’s diplomatic influence in the region.
Despite these tensions, Tinubu extended an olive branch. “I can assure you that Nigeria is home for you. When you feel like seeing us, our doors will always be open,” he told the Malian envoy.
Unamended relationship?
While Tinubu spoke of regional brotherhood, the underlying issues remain complex.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger continue to push for an alternative security architecture, criticising ECOWAS for what they see as inaction in the fight against terrorism and undue pressure on sovereign states.
Security experts say Nigeria must tread carefully. Any escalation could further fragment West Africa’s already fragile political landscape and disrupt efforts to combat jihadist violence along the Sahel belt.
On the same day, Tinubu received letters of credence from five other ambassadors – from the Netherlands, Tanzania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, and Switzerland – and used the occasion to call for increased global cooperation.
As Nigeria tries to project itself as a stabilizing force, the growing influence of the AES signals that power in West Africa is no longer as centralised as it once was – and Abuja may need to recalibrate its approach if it hopes to preserve both influence and peace in the region.
