The foreign ministers of Niger and Mali have accused neighbouring countries of sponsoring terrorism. The accusations were made at a security forum in Senegal. However, they have expressed willingness to cooperate with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which they split last year. This could complicate efforts to curb jihadist violence across the Sahel, a region where they have been battling jihadist insurgencies for over a decade. Niger's Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare said that many countries seeking to cooperate on counterterrorism also fuel terrorism in Niger. Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop declined to identify which neighbours were involved, but added that foreign powers outside the region were also involved. The tensions between Mali and Mauritania have also been high in recent weeks.