Burkina Faso and Mali Boycott African Defence Summit in Nigeria

Burkina Faso and Mali were notably absent from the African Chiefs of Defence Summit in Nigeria, a key regional security meeting held in Abuja on Monday, signalling longstanding diplomatic tensions between Ouagadougou, Bamako, and Abuja.

The host country, Nigeria, had publicly listed Burkina Faso’s Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier General Moussa Diallo, Mali’s Major General Oumar Diarra, Niger’s Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou, and their counterparts from 49 countries as invited participants to the continental defence summit.

While Niger’s Barmou, alongside his counterparts from Burkina Faso and Mali, were not present at the security summit, Niamey sent a representative in the person of Colonel Major Soumana Kalkoye, its defence attaché in Nigeria, representing the only AES country at the summit.

For context, this notable boycott from Burkina Faso and Mali illustrates the geopolitical tension that dates to the illegal attempt to invade Niger militarily by the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, who was then the Head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and whose unpopular decision in sanctioning the country saw to the exit of Sahelian countries and the creation of the Confederation of the Sahel States (CSS/AES).

Related News: Nigeria’s Tinubu Re-elected As ECOWAS Chairman After Disastrous One-Year Tenure

The attempted invasion, however, was foiled by the leaking of a top-secret memo, leading to a botched attempt to abduct West Africa Weekly Editor-in-Chief, David Hundeyin, from Ghana.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to build regional realignments in the face of threats posed by terrorists across Africa, including between Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the former is hosting a three-day summit aimed at “reshaping the future of defence procurement and cooperation in the region.”

According to the host country (Nigeria), the summit, which started on Monday and ends on Wednesday, “will serve as an important platform for defence leaders to engage in high-level discussions on shared security challenges, exchange strategic insights, and strengthen regional and global cooperation.”

Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, has tasked his counterparts to rise to the security challenges confronting the continent, stating security forces “have a duty to build a continent where our people can live free from fear, and where our Armed Forces are symbols of stability.”

On the International level, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, in a press release following the summit, remarked, “We know that Africa is the epicentre of global terrorism deaths,” while calling for strategic defence collaboration in Africa beyond the summit’s room.

About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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