Togo unveiled a new geopolitical and security strategy for the Sahel region at a high-level meeting held in Lomé, the Togolese capital, on Saturday, positioning itself as a mediator between two increasingly estranged blocs in West Africa.

The summit brought together a notably broad set of participants: representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the United Nations, around fifteen European special envoys — including France's — and various African diplomats. The AES comprises Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, three countries now governed by military juntas that came to power through coups and formally withdrew from ECOWAS to form their own bloc. In recent years, all three have distanced themselves from Western partners in favour of closer ties with Russia.