Mahama hold talks with Burkina Faso leader on security and fight against terrorism

President John Mahama has reiterated his commitment to join forces with neighbouring Burkina Faso to fight terrorism.

The President expressed concern about the security threats of terrorism, emphasising the need for collaboration between countries to fight terrorism which he says is “like a cancer, if you don’t fight it, it will spread throughout the body.”

President Mahama made the comment during a visit to Ouagadougou to hold bilateral talks with Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkina Faso leader on Monday, March 10, 2025.

“In Africa we say when your neighbour’s house is on fire, you have to help him to quench it otherwise it will spread to your own house.

“This issue of terrorism started with Mali and it spread gradually to Niger and now into Burkina Faso and like I said terrorism is like a cancer, if you don’t fight it, it will spread throughout the body.

 “And so how we can collaborate in terms of the fight against terrorism is another issue we discussed,” the President said.

The president visit’s is also to intensify efforts to ensure that bilateral relations between the two countries remain in his drive of economic growth as well as trade liberalization between the two countries.

The President used the opportunity to hold discussions with his Burkinabe counterpart Captain Ibrahim Traore’ on the security situation in the Sahel as well as sub-regional and international geopolitics.

The AES is a confederation formed between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. It originated as a mutual defense pact created on 16 September 2023 following the 2023 Nigerien crisis, in which the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily to restore civilian rule after a coup in Niger earlier that year.

All three member states are former members of ECOWAS and currently under the control of juntas following a string of successful coups, the 2021 Malian coup d’état, the September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d’état, and the 2023 Nigerien coup d’état The confederation was established on 6 July 2024.

President Mahama was accompanied by Presidential Envoy to the Sahelian States, Col. Larry Gbevlo Lartey, Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Executive Secretary to the President, Dr. Calistus Mahama, Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) Stan Dogbe, Senior Presidential Advisor and Aide to the President, Joyce Mogtari and Deputy Spokesperson to the President, Shamima Muslim.

Source: 3news.com