The Sahel Juntas Open a Parliament in Niamey
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger convene their first joint parliamentary session in Niamey this week. Members were appointed, not elected. The post The Sahel Juntas Open a Parliament in Niamey appeared first on The Rio Times .
The Alliance of Sahel States, comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, convened its inaugural parliamentary session in Niamey from 24 to 29 August 2026. The event took place at the Centre de Conference Mahatma Gandhi, hosted by Niger’s Conseil consultatif de la refondation, the body that replaced the dissolved National Assembly.
The presidents of Mali's and Burkina Faso's legislatures, General Malick Diaw and Ousmane Bougouma, respectively, arrived in Niamey on 22 August, welcomed by Niger's president of the Conseil consultatif de la refondation, Mamoudou Harouna Djingarey. While the number of deputies and their method of selection remains undisclosed, the parliament's primary functions involve overseeing the confederation's organs, informing citizens about community policies, and conveying concerns to the confederal level.
The institution's formation began as a mutual defense pact in 2023 and evolved into a confederation with a joint force and common security posture by 2024. The confederal parliament signifies a shift towards governance that transcends individual leaders, aiming to provide legitimacy to future decisions and harmonize mining codes, as well as facilitating the transition from the CFA franc to a unified currency.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
