The Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is set to focus on economic, social, and infrastructure development, as well as counter-terrorism efforts. These two key areas present significant challenges in the West African region and will be the benchmarks against which its actions will be measured in the coming months.

Leaders from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso met yesterday in Niamey for the inaugural summit of the Alliance of Sahel States. They established a "Confederation," as stated by Abdourahamane Tiani of Niger, who declared at the session's opening that the people of the three countries have "irreversibly turned their backs on ECOWAS."

This meeting resulted in official resolutions, including the creation of instruments to fund the socio-economic policies of the new Confederation and the facilitation of free movement of people, goods, and services within its geographic space.

In their declaration, the junta leaders also emphasized mutual respect for the "sovereignty and interests" of their states, the primary point of contention that has caused friction with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in recent months.

ECOWAS is set to hold a summit next Sunday in Abuja, where discussions will include, among other topics, the new relationship with the AES countries.