Landlocked Burkina, Mali, Niger back sea access through Morocco
- In April 2025, the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met King Mohammed VI in Rabat to endorse Morocco’s initiative granting them Atlantic Ocean access.
- The meeting followed these landlocked Sahel states’ departure from ECOWAS last year and the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, driven by military juntas severing ties with Western partners.
- The ministers expressed full commitment to speed up the initiative’s implementation, highlighting Morocco’s trade initiative launched in late 2023 to facilitate their maritime access via Moroccan ports.
- According to Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, this plan will diversify their sea access and global trade routes, while the three countries maintain security partnerships and reject ECOWAS sanctions.
- This development implies a strategic shift as the Sahel states strengthen ties with Morocco amid regional rivalries with Algeria and deteriorating relations with Western allies.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to have access to the Atlantic ocean
In December 2023, Morocco announced a trade initiative to facilitate Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger's access to the Atlantic Ocean using Moroccan ports after ECOWAS imposed trade restrictions on the the three junta-led countries.


Landlocked Burkina, Mali, Niger back sea access through Morocco
Foreign ministers of military-ruled Sahel states of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger said on Monday they endorse an initiative offering them access to global trade through Morocco's Atlantic ports, Morocco's state news agency reported.
On 28 April, Mohammed VI received the heads of diplomacy from the three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger).
Morocco hosted on Monday 28 April in Rabat a new high-level diplomatic meeting with the heads of diplomacy of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The aim was to accelerate the implementation of a strategic project to provide access to the Atlantic Ocean to these three landlocked Sahelian countries. Malian Minister Abdoulaye Diop, the Nigerian Bakary Yaou Sangaré and Burkinabé Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré met King Mohammed VI, welcoming on this occasion …
Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Seek Access To Atlantic Through Morocco
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which have no coastline, hope to reach global shipping lanes through a new deal with Morocco. Morocco’s state press reported that envoys from the three Sahel countries met King Mohammed VI in Rabat on Monday and endorsed a Moroccan scheme that would open Atlantic sea routes to their trade. The step reshapes West African politics and commerce because the Alliance of Sahel States has lacked a maritime outlet since lea…
In a significant demonstration of South-South cooperation and the redefinition of regional alliances, the Foreign Ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — have expressed strong support for the “Atlantic Initiative” of King Mohamed VI of Morocco. The Moroccan proposal, announced in November 2023, seeks to facilitate the access of these landlocked countries to global trade through Moroccan Atlanti…
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