Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger will soon issue new biometric passports, according to Mali’s military chief, Colonel Assimi Goita, as the junta-led republics seek to strengthen their alliance following their break from the regional body ECOWAS.
The three Sahel nations, all under military leadership following a series of coups since 2020, formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September after cutting ties with old colonial power France and shifting toward Russia.
In January, they announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States, accusing it of being dominated by France.
In July, the allies strengthened their connections by forming the Confederation of Sahel States, which will be led by Mali for the first year and will include around 72 million people.
“In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the AES will be put into circulation with the aim of harmonising travel documents in our common area,” Goita said during a televised address late Sunday.
“We will be working to put in place the infrastructure needed to strengthen the connectivity of our territories through transport, communications networks and information technology,” he said.
The announcement came a day before the three states are due to mark the one-year anniversary of the alliance’s creation.
The neighbours are all fighting Islamist warfare, which began in northern Mali in 2012 and extended to Niger and Burkina Faso by 2015.
The unrest is believed to have killed hundreds and displaced millions throughout the region.
