Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—three West African nations governed by military juntas—have taken a decisive step toward consolidating their regional alliance by launching a shared biometric passport under the Confederation of Sahel States (AES). The move, announced on social media platform X on January 25, 2024, marks a formal break from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a 15-member bloc the trio intends to leave permanently by January 29, 2025. The AES passport symbolizes a bold assertion of sovereignty and a rejection of ECOWAS, which suspended the countries following military coups in recent years.
The decision underscores deepening fissures in West Africa’s geopolitical landscape. ECOWAS, long regarded as a stabilizing force in the region, had urged the AES nations to reconsider their withdrawal after they announced their intent to exit in January 2023. But the introduction of a shared passport—a cornerstone of the AES roadmap for “free movement of people and goods”—signals an irreversible pivot. Lt Gen Assimi Goita, Mali’s transitional leader and AES chairman, confirmed the passport’s launch, emphasizing that existing ECOWAS documents would remain valid until expiration but could be exchanged for AES versions under new regulations. The confederation vowed to ensure “effectiveness” in cross-border mobility, framing the initiative as a stride toward regional integration.
The AES’s emergence reflects a broader realignment among Sahelian states grappling with insurgencies, economic fragility, and strained relations with former colonial power France. Since 2020, military takeovers in Mali (2020 and 2021), Burkina Faso (2022), and Niger (2023) have drawn international condemnation, including ECOWAS sanctions. The bloc’s threats of military intervention in Niger following its coup further alienated the junta-led states, which now position the AES as a counterweight to what they perceive as Western-aligned regional overreach. By abandoning ECOWAS, the trio rejects its principles of democratic governance and aligns with a growing trend of militarized nationalism in the Sahel.
The biometric passport initiative also disrupts ECOWAS’s vision of a harmonized regional identity system. The World Bank-backed West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) project, designed to streamline cross-border mobility and trade through foundational IDs in six countries—including Burkina Faso and Niger—now faces uncertainty. The AES’s parallel system risks fragmenting identification frameworks, complicating efforts to foster intra-regional commerce and migration. While Burkina Faso’s new national passport, supplied by Chinese firm Emptech, raised speculation about Beijing’s role in the AES project, sources confirm Emptech’s involvement is limited to Burkina Faso, with Mali and Niger pursuing separate contracts.
Critics argue the AES’s ambitions may clash with logistical and political realities. The Sahel remains one of the world’s most unstable regions, with jihadist violence displacing millions and crippling state institutions. A shared passport requires robust technical coordination, secure biometric infrastructure, and mutual trust—all scarce commodities in states where juntas prioritize military survival over governance. Skeptics also question whether the AES can replicate ECOWAS’s trade and mobility frameworks without similar institutional heft. While the confederation pledges frictionless movement, border closures during past crises, such as Mali’s 2022 rift with Ivory Coast, reveal the fragility of such promises.
For ECOWAS, the AES’s defiance represents a strategic blow. Losing three resource-rich states weakens the bloc’s economic clout and undermines its credibility as a guardian of democratic norms. The exit also complicates transnational security cooperation amid escalating terrorism in the Sahel. Yet ECOWAS’s rigid stance toward the juntas—imposing sanctions without addressing underlying grievances like foreign military presence and economic marginalization—has fueled the AES’s rise. The confederation’s rhetoric of pan-African solidarity resonates domestically, where anti-Western sentiment has been weaponized to legitimize military rule.
The AES passport, while largely symbolic for now, hints at a long-term vision. Its success hinges on stabilizing member states, securing international recognition, and fostering functional integration. Should the confederation expand—rumors persist of overtures to Guinea and Chad—it could reshape West Africa’s balance of power. Conversely, internal discord or failed governance could render the project stillborn.
As the January 2025 exit date approaches, the AES’s defiance underscores a regional order in flux. The biometric passport is more than a travel document; it is a manifesto of resistance against ECOWAS and a gamble on a militarized, sovereignty-first future. Whether this gamble pays off—or deepens the Sahel’s crises—remains to be seen. What is clear is that the junta-led trio has chosen a path of confrontation, challenging West Africa’s status quo and redefining the meaning of regional unity in an era of upheaval.
