AES: Mali and Burkina Faso strengthen security cooperation

The two nations of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) are reaching a new milestone in their security rapprochement. The Malian Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Major General Daoud Aly Mohammedine, received his Burkinabe counterpart, Divisional Commissioner Mahamadou Sana, this week in Bamako for an official visit.

This high-level meeting takes place in a context of shared determination to fight terrorism together and to end police harassment that burdens citizens of both countries in their daily travel.

The visit followed a ceremony held the previous day at the Burkina Faso embassy in Bamako, which marked the official launch of mobile enrollment kits for the AES Biometric Identity Card (CIB-AES), as well as travel documents for the Burkinabe diaspora living in Mali.

This innovative system has successfully completed its pilot phase, paving the way for gradual deployment to other diplomatic and consular missions of alliance member states. The goal is to facilitate the free movement of Sahelian citizens.

Beyond the identity aspect, this initiative symbolizes the depth of integration underway within the AES, where member states intend to build a concrete community of destiny rooted in the daily lives of their respective populations.

Titi KEITA