COMMUNIQUÉ

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 1356^th meeting held on 27 July 2026, on Update on the Political Transition in the Republic of Burkina Faso and Republic of Niger;

The Peace and Security Council,

Referring to its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in Burkina Faso and Niger, in particular, Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1/1062 (2022)] adopted at its 1062^nd meeting held on 31 January 2022; Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1168 (2023)] adopted at its 1168^th meeting held on 14 August 2023;

Recalling Communiqué [PSC/MIN/COMM.1304 (2025)] adopted at its 1304^th meeting held at Ministerial level on 30 September 2025; Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1212 (2024)] adopted at its 1212^nd meeting held on 20 May 2024; and Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1180.1 (2023)] and [PSC/PR/COMM.1180.2 (2023)] adopted at its 1180^th meeting held on 23 October 2023; as well as the Informal Consultation of Council with AU Member States in political transition, held in February 2026;

Also recalling  the provisions of all relevant AU normative instruments, including the AU Constitutive Act; the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union; the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; and the Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government, adopted by the 36^th Ordinary Session of the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Lomé, Togo, July 2000 (the Lomé Declaration); as well as Declaration [Ext/Assembly/AU/Decl.(XVI)] on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government adopted by the 16^th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held from 27 to 28 May 2022, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea;

Reiterating the AU Zero Tolerance Policy on any forms of unconstitutional changes of government in line with Article 4 (p) of the AU Constitutive Act;

Reaffirming the AU solidarity with the people of Burkina Faso and Niger in their relentless quest to restore democratic rule, peace, security and stability in their countries; and also reaffirming the AU unwavering commitment to respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the two sisterly countries;

Taking note of the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda to the AU and PSC Chairperson for July 2026; and the Introductory Statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, of the AU Commission; as well as the briefing by H.E. Dr. Mamadou Tangara, the High Representative/ Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for Mali and Sahel and Head of AU Mission in Sahel (MISAHEL); and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Reaffirms the continued commitment of the AU to constructive engagement with the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso and in Niger, while emphasizing the imperative of expeditious restoration of constitutional order through inclusive, nationally owned and credible political transition processes consistent with the normative frameworks and decisions of the AU;

2. Expresses deep concern over the widespread terrorism and violent extremism in the central Sahel and strongly condemns all terrorist attacks in the Sahel, in particular the recent attacks on military installations? in Burkina Faso and the assault on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey; expresses solidarity with the people and transitional authorities in Burkina Faso and Niger; in this regard calls for the full implementation of the recently adopted Continental Strategic Plan of Action on Countering Terrorism in Africa (2026–2030), adopted at the 1354^th PSC meeting and the 1354^th Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1354 (2026)] adopted on 21 July  2026;

3. Commends both countries for the progress made, particularly in strengthening relations with neighboring countries and advancing socio-economic priorities despite ongoing challenges; in this context, requests the AU Commission through the AU PCRD Center to engage Burkina Faso and Niger and develop development projects in the countries so as to empower the youth and women;

4. Encourages the transitional authorities in the two sisterly countries to promote inclusive national dialogue bringing together all political actors, civil society organizations, women, youth and traditional and religious leaders with a view to fostering national reconciliation, strengthening social cohesion and building broad national consensus on the transition processes;

5. Welcomes the recent visit of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, to the Republic of Mali and Burkina Faso which reflects the AU’s strong political engagement; and requests the Chairperson of the AU Commission to continue the high-level political engagements, including with the authorities in Niger, through regular consultations and preventive diplomacy initiatives aimed at supporting peaceful, inclusive political transitions, confidence and trust-building and institutional strengthening;

6. Also welcomes the Final Communiqué of the 69^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government of 19 July 2026 and encourages ECOWAS and international partners to further strengthen coordination and dialogue in addressing the multidimensional security challenges facing the Sahel region as a whole, in the same context emphasizes, in particular, enhanced cooperation among the AU, ECOWAS and the Central Sahelian States in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, border security, humanitarian access, combating transnational organized crime and in holistically addressing the structural root causes, drivers and factors that sustain terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel region;

7. Reiterates that military responses alone are insufficient to effectively address the complex security challenges confronting the Sahel and, in this regard, underscores the need for integrated African-led approaches that combine security operations with good governance, inclusive development, reconciliation, climate resilience and community stabilization;

8. Calls for enhanced support to national security institutions of the two sisterly countries through targeted capacity-building assistance, intelligence sharing, early warning systems and enhanced border management, including greater utilization of the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS), the African Standby Force (ASF) and the Nouakchott Process;

9. Expresses deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation and calls upon Member States, humanitarian organizations, development partners and financial institutions, in a position to do so, to scale up humanitarian assistance, protection of civilians and durable solutions for internally displaced persons, refugees and host communities in the two sisterly countries;

10. Urges all parties to facilitate safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access; ensure protection of humanitarian personnel and critical civilian infrastructure, in accordance with international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL);

11. Emphasizes the importance of building and further strengthening resilience through investments in food security, education, healthcare, water and sanitation, climate adaptation, livelihoods and social protection programmes, particularly in conflict-affected communities;

12. Reiterates that all counter-terrorism operations must be conducted in full compliance with IHL, IHRL and the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and calls upon the competent national authorities to investigate allegations of violations and ensure accountability, with a view to fighting impunity;

13. Encourages Member States concerned and partners to support initiatives that strengthen state presence and service delivery in marginalized border communities in order to address governance deficits, reduce vulnerabilities to violent extremism and promote sustainable peace;

14. Requests the AU Commission to continue engaging with Burkina Faso, the Republic of Niger and other Sahelian countries to promote coordinated implementation of continental peace and security initiatives, strengthen cooperation with regional organizations and mobilize international support for African-led stabilization efforts;

15. Calls upon the AU Commission through the AU Facility for Supporting Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT), the African Development Bank (AfDB), regional financial institutions and international partners to support economic recovery and resilience-building initiatives focusing on youth employment, and access to basic services and private sector development in conflict-affected areas;

16. Calls for the strengthening of the AU Liaison Office in Mali to ensure strong AU presence in the Sahel and provide the required support, in particular to the countries in transition to smoothly return to constitutional order;

17. Requests the AU Commission to continue providing the PSC with periodic reports on the implementation of this Communiqué and on developments relating to the political, security, humanitarian and socio-economic situations in Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger; and

18. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS