Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three junta-ruled Sahel states, on Saturday resumed dialogue with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc they withdrew from more than 18 months ago, according to France 24.

The two sides agreed to establish one joint working group that will develop a cooperation framework agreement to guide future relations between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), according to the BBC. The first session of the ministerial meeting of the dialogue on cooperation between ECOWAS and the AES Confederation took place in Dakar, Senegal, on 17 October 2026, according to the final communiqué published by the bloc.