Following his talks with visiting Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has disclosed that the country plans to sign a security pact with the states of Ecowas. Although the minister did not disclose more details, such as when it would be signed or what commitments it would contain, the proposed agreement is believed would cover security cooperation with ECOWAS.
According to the statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov said “Russia will sign a memorandum of cooperation with ECOWAS, including in the field of security,”, He added that Moscow was prepared to support efforts to improve relations between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States, comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
If concluded, the agreement would give Russia a formal channel for security engagement with ECOWAS at a time when the bloc is confronting terrorism, political instability and a damaging split with the three Sahel countries.
By this intent, Russia offers to bridge the present tensions between ECOWAS and the Sahel alliance. Lavrov said Russia was ready to support efforts to “build bridges” between ECOWAS and the three countries that withdrew from the bloc.
It would be recalled that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally ceased to be ECOWAS members on 29 January 2025 after relations deteriorated over military coups, sanctions and demands for a return to constitutional government.
The three countries accused ECOWAS of departing from its founding principles and acting under the influence of foreign powers. They subsequently consolidated the Alliance of Sahel States as a separate political, economic and defence bloc.
Their withdrawal reduced ECOWAS from 15 to 12 member countries and weakened attempts to coordinate security operations across borders used by armed groups.
ECOWAS has kept channels of communication open and temporarily preserved free movement and trade arrangements for citizens and goods from the three states. However, the two blocs have yet to establish a durable framework for political and security cooperation.
Russia’s offer is significant because the country is one of the closest military partners of the three Sahel governments, and in recent times has strengthened its military and political ties with the breakaway states of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following the significant reducing of their erstwhile military cooperation with France and other Western governments.
Russia has supplied equipment, training and personnel while pledging support for the Sahel alliance’s joint military force. In July, Russia and the three countries agreed to deepen military and military-technical cooperation, including assistance from the Russian Africa Corps. Moscow also promised continued support for their armed forces and the alliance’s unified force.
The three countries established the joint force to combat armed groups operating across their borders. Russia had previously pledged equipment and training for the initiative.
This places Moscow in a unique position – as a bridge between ECOWAS and the three former members of the bloc. Lavrov argued that cooperation between the two sides was necessary because insecurity does not stop at political borders.
That concern has become more urgent as armed groups expand their operations beyond the central Sahel. Benin and Togo have experienced attacks in their northern regions, while Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have strengthened border security to prevent further movement towards coastal West Africa.
The fragmentation between ECOWAS and the Sahel alliance has complicated intelligence sharing, border management and the coordination of military operations.
The Institute for Security Studies warned in March that ECOWAS’ planned counterterrorism brigade would remain constrained as long as the split continued to weaken collective security efforts.
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