Sierra Leone's president calls for ‘mutual trust and respect’ with Burkina Faso junta

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - Sierra Leone’s president called Wednesday for “mutual trust and respect” between his country and Burkina Faso during a meeting with its junta chief.

Julius Maada Bio and Captain Ibrahim Traore met in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou as Sierra Leone this month holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

According to an official statement, the two leaders discussed the tensions undermining the Sahel countries.

At the end of the working visit, Bio and Traore had “fruitful exchanges” on cooperation between the two countries and the security situation in Burkina Faso and in the Sahel, said a statement released by the junta.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, three West African countries in transition following military coups, formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) last September and withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which had threatened to intervene militarily in their countries following the coup in Niger in July last year.

During his meeting with Troare, Bio said he had “first-hand information on the situation in the Sahel.”

As Sierra Leone presides over the UN Security Council during August, Bio added that “it is important for all parties to fully understand the issues both in Burkina Faso and in the Sahel as a whole.”

Sierra Leone also serves on the African Union's Peace and Security Council.

"Together, and with mutual trust and respect, we will continue these engagements with open minds in order to achieve our shared objective of resolving conflicts and disagreements in our sub-region," Bio said after meeting Traore.