AES Foreign Ministers Tell African Union To Respect Sovereignty Of Member States

The foreign ministers of the confederation of Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have called on the organs of the African Union (AU) to ensure maximum respect for the sovereignty of AES members.

This was made known in a joint communique released on Thursday, July 11, by the three foreign ministers of the AES confederation.

The ministers said they had followed, through the media, the discussions that was made during the 65th ordinary session of the conference of Heads of State and Government, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The AES ministers condemned comments by the AU commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, speaking on behalf of AU Commission’s president, who said that the withdrawal of the three Sahel states were unacceptable as the AU believes in one ECOWAS.

In the communique, the AES foreign ministers stated that the AU commissioner’s comments were surprising, adding that no AU official has a right to interfere in the internal affairs of AU’s member states.

The communique further stated that approval from a third party was not part of the dynamics of the AES Confederation whose priority, it said, was to preserve the territorial integrity of its member states and to defend its citizens’ vital interests.

The three foreign ministers therefore denounced any assessment of AES sovereign decisions, saying that such assessments constitute interference into the internal affairs of member states. They also added that any assessment of an AES sovereign decision is a violation of the provisions of the United Nations’ Charter, the AU’s constitution, and the international law.

Regardless, the AES foreign affairs ministers expressed their readiness to cooperate with the AU commission and other organs of the union in strict compliance with the sovereign choices of AES confederation and the AU.

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