Relationship dossier
Burkina Faso
Niger
Relationship assessment
Close political and security alignment through the Alliance of Sahel States
Burkina Faso toward Niger
+70Burkina Faso joined Niger in signing the Alliance of Sahel States charter in September 2023 and in announcing withdrawal from ECOWAS in January 2024. Burkina Faso and Niger later joined Mali in establishing the AES confederation, aligning their governments on regional political and security cooperation.
Niger toward Burkina Faso
+70Niger joined Burkina Faso in signing the Alliance of Sahel States charter in September 2023 and in announcing withdrawal from ECOWAS in January 2024. Niger and Burkina Faso later joined Mali in establishing the AES confederation, aligning their governments on regional political and security cooperation.
Overall relationship
+70The relationship is structured by sustained political alignment and shared regional security arrangements within the Alliance of Sahel States. The governments' joint ECOWAS withdrawal and subsequent creation of an AES confederation reinforce this partnership. The practical depth of bilateral cooperation and implementation of the alliance's commitments remain less clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Burkina Faso and Niger have developed close political and security cooperation under military-led governments. Their governments joined Mali in establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS together, and later formed an AES confederation. These shared arrangements reflect sustained alignment, although the depth and implementation of practical bilateral security cooperation are less clear.
Key developments
Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali signed the charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, including a mutual-defense commitment.
Burkina Faso and Niger jointly announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS.
Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali established the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States at a summit in Niamey.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and effectiveness of joint security operations between Burkina Faso and Niger are unclear.
- The implementation and durability of the Alliance of Sahel States' mutual-defense and confederal arrangements remain uncertain.