Senegal’s new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Thursday began his first visit to Mali and Burkina Faso to strengthen ties with these two states which have quit regional bloc ECOWAS.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are all under military rule following coups.

In January, the trio announced they were quitting The Economic Community of West African States, which they said was under French influence, to create their own regional grouping — the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Faye landed in the Malian capital on Thursday and headed to the presidential palace where he is due to hold talks with junta head Colonel Assimi Goita, a Malian presidential source said.

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“These visits are part of a drive to strengthen the historic ties of good neighbourliness, fraternal friendship, solidarity and multifaceted cooperation,” the Senegalese presidency said in a statement.

Faye has made several trips across West Africa since being sworn in as the continent’s youngest elected president in early April.

Thursday’s trip marks his tenth visit to an African state since assuming the presidency.

The choice of destinations within the continent “speaks volumes about the importance of strengthening pan-Africanism and reinvigorating sub-regional integration in his diplomatic priorities,” a Senegalese government statement said.