Recent comments by Nigeria’s president have reignited diplomatic friction with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s remarks during a July 30 meeting with Nigerian traditional leaders sparked immediate backlash in Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou.

The Nigerian leader suggested that cross-border terrorism from neighboring Sahel nations contributes to insecurity and kidnappings in northern Nigeria. This claim drew sharp criticism from Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, who issued a formal statement on August 7 emphasizing the shared threat posed by terrorism. «The four nations face the same enemy», the communiqué noted, while expressing strong disappointment over Tinubu’s statements.

«The real enemies lie elsewhere»

On the same day, representatives from the three AES countries convened in Ouagadougou to summon Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires. They formally rejected Tinubu’s remarks as «inaccurate», arguing that his comments undermine the significant counter-terrorism efforts undertaken by their armed forces. «We are not responsible for our challenges. The true adversaries are elsewhere», the Burkinabe diplomat asserted.

Since 2023, security conditions have deteriorated along Nigeria’s northwestern border with Niger, further straining relations between Abuja and its Sahel neighbors. Diplomatic relations hit a low point following the coup in Niamey that year.