Reunited on July 19, 2026 in Lungi, Sierra Leone, ECOWAS decided to deepen dialogue with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with a view to a security cooperation mechanism. An approach aimed at reconnecting regional efforts against a cross-border threat.
On the ground, armed groups cross borders and use regional networks to procure weapons, motorcycles, fuel, or drones. Facing them, the AES has deployed its Unified Force and ECOWAS is preparing its Counter-Terrorism Brigade. No operational mechanism yet directly links the two systems.
The final communiqué of the 69th ECOWAS session does not set the format or timeline for this cooperation. However, it extends the process initiated in Accra in January 2026, where states from both blocs had envisioned a permanent framework, intelligence sharing, and cross-border pursuit agreements.
ECOWAS will negotiate with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as a bloc. It has urged its members to avoid separate agreements that could weaken its cohesion and extended Lansana Kouyaté's mandate until December 2026. The visit to Bamako on July 28 by Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the organization's acting President, has brought this rapprochement to the forefront.
Geography Imposes Dialogue
For Abdoulaye Tamboura, Doctor in Geopolitics, the rapprochement is already underway. "Peoples are intertwined and economies are linked. We cannot change the geography of these states. So we are obliged to cooperate," he stresses.
This necessity grows as the threat reaches coastal countries. According to the 2026 Global Terrorism Index, 76% of attacks committed in 2025 occurred within 100 kilometers of an international border. The Sahel concentrated more than half of terrorism-related deaths.
These networks cross multiple states, making each border's security dependent on neighboring intelligence. For populations, this coordination also concerns the safety of roads, markets, and travel between border localities.
Security cooperation will not erase political differences. It will require distinguishing operational needs from diplomatic disputes. "Both blocs have understood that they must set aside differences and work on points of convergence, particularly the fight against terrorism," notes Abdoulaye Tamboura. The challenge remains to translate this common interest into durable procedures.
From Intelligence to Coordination
A first step could be re-establishing secure channels between general staffs and intelligence services. In an analysis published in March, the Institute for Security Studies recommends permanent communications to restart information sharing and synchronize cross-border operations.
Liaison officers, common alert procedures, and confidentiality rules would allow sharing of operationally useful information. The African Union could facilitate these exchanges. Precise agreements should govern cross-border pursuits, use of airspace, and civilian protection.
Activated in December 2025, the AES Unified Force has a headquarters in Niamey. Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tiani stated on July 25 that it comprises 5,000 troops and planning aims to gradually increase this to 18,000.
The future ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Brigade was initially to consist of 1,650 soldiers. The revised roadmap in Lungi provides for a buildup to full operational capability by July 2027. Its headquarters will be chosen after consultation with Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Cooperation will not necessarily require a unified command. It could rely on a planning cell, a common threat mapping, synchronized operations, and protocols to prevent border incidents.
Abdoulaye Tamboura proposes "a joint general staff, joint training, and eventually mixed brigades." In his view, the combat experience of the AES forces could benefit coastal armies.
Such a system will have to overcome mistrust, doctrinal differences, financial constraints, and sovereignty issues. ECOWAS has demanded payment of unpaid community levies to finance its force. The challenge now is to prevent the institutional separation of the two organizations from becoming another gap exploited by armed groups.
Mohamed Kenouvi
