During his visit to Bamako, Ousmane Sonko recalled that he was “the first to denounce the embargo that was made on Mali by brotherly countries,” and he continues to maintain this position.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, gathered within the AES, must be respected in their “sovereign choices,” Ousmane Sonko maintained.

“So what are we being accused of? To try to reunite the family. Since when can we blame a pan-Africanist for doing everything to keep us in solid frameworks rather than divide us?” he questioned himself.

Regional security, economic cooperation, and development opportunities were discussed during the interview with Assimi Goïta, according to a statement from the Malian presidency.

“Senegal will continue to commit to reuniting the entire West African family,” according to a statement from the Senegalese Prime Minister’s office.

During his visit to the Malian capital, Ousmane Sonko also met with his Malian counterpart, Choguel Maiga.