Biometric passports will be introduced by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger as part of a new alliance

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger will implement new biometric passports as a component of their departure from a West African bloc in support of a new Sahel alliance, following the seizure of power by military authorities in all three nations, according to the leader of Mali speaking on Sunday.

In January, the three Sahel neighbours, all run by juntas, collectively declared their intention to withdraw from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOWAS has worked to convince them to reassess their choice.

Earlier this month, Burkina Faso declared its intention to introduce new passports that will not bear the ECOWAS emblem.

“In the near future, a new biometric passport for the AES (Alliance of Sahel States) will be introduced to standardize travel documents within our shared region and enhance the mobility of our citizens globally,” President Assimi Goita of the Malian junta declared on Sunday evening.

He said in advance of a meeting on Monday comprising the foreign ministers of the three nations, commemorating the anniversary of their decision to establish their own alliance.

Furthermore, Goita expressed their intention to establish a collaborative information platform “with the aim of facilitating a seamless distribution of information throughout our three states.”

ECOWAS has cautioned that the departure of the three countries would weaken the freedom of mobility and shared market within the 49-year-old bloc, which is home to 400 million people.

Their departure coincides with the engagement of their military forces in combat against factions associated with al Qaeda and Islamic State, whose insurgencies have caused instability in the region for the last ten years and pose a risk of extending into coastal West African cities.