Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — the landlocked members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — have thrown their support behind a Moroccan initiative to grant them access to Atlantic Ocean trade routes, signaling a major shift in West Africa’s geopolitical and economic dynamics.
The development was announced on Monday following a high-level meeting with King Mohammed VI in Rabat, according to Morocco’s state news agency. The three AES nations expressed interest in leveraging Moroccan Atlantic ports to boost trade and reduce reliance on neighboring ECOWAS member states.
This comes after the countries’ formal withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States earlier this year, a move that significantly limited their access to seaports through traditional trade corridors in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.
“Morocco’s initiative is conducive to diversifying our access to the sea,” Mali’s Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, told state media, underscoring the strategic importance of the partnership. Originally unveiled in November 2023, the Moroccan plan offers port access and infrastructure support through projects such as the $1 billion Atlantic port under construction in Dakhla, Western Sahara.
The meeting in Rabat was described as part of Morocco’s longstanding ties with the Sahel nations, even as tensions in the region deepen. Relations between the AES bloc and Algeria — Morocco’s regional rival — have become increasingly strained. Algeria, which supports the Polisario Front’s push for independence in Western Sahara, has severed diplomatic ties with Morocco and taken a critical stance on the kingdom’s regional ambitions.
Meanwhile, the AES countries have also distanced themselves from Western influence, expelling French troops and moving closer to Russia in security and defense cooperation.
Morocco’s growing involvement in the Sahel includes diplomatic gestures, such as brokering the release of four French citizens detained in Burkina Faso, shortly after France officially recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The new maritime partnership offers a possible economic lifeline for the AES bloc while cementing Morocco’s position as a key player in shaping the future of regional trade and diplomacy in West Africa.
