Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has pledged his country’s support for Mali in tackling terrorism and regional security challenges during a brief visit to Bamako on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Faye met Mali’s transitional President, General Assimi Goïta, for discussions focused on peace, security and efforts to combat extremist threats in the Sahel.
“We are ready to support Mali to face together” threats that “know no borders and are exacerbated by our divisions,” Faye said, reaffirming Senegal’s commitment to working with Mali at the regional level.
The visit came less than 10 days after Faye assumed the chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However, he did not mention the regional bloc during his remarks, despite Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leaving ECOWAS in January 2025 to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Faye instead referred to cooperation through regional institutions where Senegal and Mali remain members, including the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS).
The Senegalese leader called for stronger bilateral ties and urged the revival of economic and monetary cooperation between the two countries. The visit comes as security concerns persist along the Senegal-Mali border, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda have carried out attacks, affecting trade and transport between the two neighbours.