Togo Hosts First AES-ECOWAS High-Level Dialogue in Lomé; AU Chairperson Endorses Traoré in Ouagadougou Visit

On April 18–19, 2026, Togo convened a landmark high-level summit in Lomé presenting its '2026–2028 New Strategy for the Sahel' — the first structured diplomatic format since the AES juntas withdrew from ECOWAS in late 2023 to bring representatives of both blocs into a shared dialogue. Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop attended as the senior AES envoy alongside counterparts from Burkina Faso and Niger; ECOWAS representatives, French and European Union envoys were also present. Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey presented Togo's five-pillar framework: political dialogue with AES, regional security cooperation, counterterrorism coordination, economic integration (centered on logistics corridors and access to Lomé Port for landlocked AES states), and strengthened multilateralism. 'Togo is ready to put its mediation expertise and its regional foothold at the service of stability, acting as a bridge between the Sahel and the wider international community,' Dussey stated. Mali's FM Diop accepted Togo's mediation role but emphasized that 'security cooperation requires, in particular, putting an end to the hosting of hostile foreign forces' — a reference to Côte d'Ivoire's continued hosting of French and Western military assets. On the sidelines of the preparatory session (April 15), Russian Foreign Ministry Director for Africa Tatyana Dovgalenko met with the UN Special Representative for the Sahel — an unusual Russia-UN engagement signaling Moscow's intent to shape multilateral framing of the AES-ECOWAS divide. Separately, on April 20, AU Chairperson Évariste Ndayishimiye (President of Burundi) made an official working visit to Ouagadougou — the highest-level AU engagement with Burkina Faso since its AU membership was suspended following the 2022 coup. Ndayishimiye met with Ibrahim Traoré, commended his 'unwavering commitment to national peace and stability,' and visited socio-economic infrastructure projects. The visit signals a softening of the AU's formal punitive posture toward Burkina Faso, where the junta dissolved 118 NGOs on April 16, banned all political parties in January 2026, and extended Traoré's rule to 2029. The Lomé summit and Ouagadougou visit together mark the most sustained diplomatic engagement with the AES bloc since the three juntas' regional isolation accelerated in 2022–2023.