ECOWAS appoints veteran diplomat to mediate with Sahel States

Lansana Kouyaté, a former Guinean prime minister, has been tasked with re-establishing dialogue with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after their withdrawal from the regional bloc last year.

West African states have appointed a new mediator to try to bridge the divide with three junta-led countries that quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2025.

Lansana Kouyaté, a former Guinean prime minister and…