In a significant diplomatic move, Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio, who assumed the chairmanship of ECOWAS in June, paid a visit on Tuesday to Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré at the presidential palace in Koulouba.
Bio has now become the first ECOWAS leader to engage directly with a member of the Sahelian Alliance of States, a step analysts say could mark a turning point in strained relations between the two blocs.
According to Sierra Leone’s state house, the one day visit centered on strengthening cooperation and rebuilding trust. President Bio pledged to work toward closer ties between ECOWAS and the Sahel alliance, while assuring Traoré of his commitment to “make sure that peace returns to Burkina Faso.”
In a video message posted on his official X account, Bio declared: “I am here today to show my solidarity with the people of Burkina Faso, to tell them they are not alone and that we will work together to restore peace.”
The visit comes after months of tension, following the formal withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS earlier this year to consolidate their own regional bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
