Senegal's premier Ousmane Sonko arrived on Monday for a surprise visit to Mali, which recently cemented a breakaway union with fellow junta-led Sahel nations Niger and Burkina Faso.
The trip, reported by Malian state media and confirmed by a source close to the Senegalese government, is Sonko's first official visit to a country belonging to the Confederation of Sahel States, all of which are led by military men who took power in coups.
It was set up in July as a rival to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc which Senegal is part of.
The Senegalese prime minister's visit, which was not communicated to the press in advance, follows Sonko's trip to Rwanda to attend President Paul Kagame's inauguration.
'Part of friendship'
His touching down in the capital Bamako was "part of a friendship and working visit", Mali's national broadcaster ORTM said on its Facebook page.
Sonko was welcomed at the airport by Mali's civilian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga and will hold talks with military chief Colonel Assimi Goita, the broadcaster added.
His trip comes after that of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye at the end of May, during which Faye said he wanted to bring Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso back into the ECOWAS fold.
In January, the trio announced that they were leaving the West African bloc, accusing it of being subservient to former colonial ruler France and not doing enough to help them fight militant insurgency – a persistent scourge in the Sahel.
Economic and cultural relations
Senegal shares an around 500-kilometre (310-mile) border with Mali, and has significant economic and cultural relations with its northern neighbour.
As a result, Dakar has long been preoccupied with the security situation in Mali and the wider Sahel region, fearing its spread to Senegal.
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