BAMAKO: In a significant step towards regional stability and security, the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger officially signed a charter on Saturday, establishing a defense alliance known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The historic agreement aims to create a framework for collective defense and mutual assistance, primarily targeting the ongoing threats posed by militant insurgency and instability in the Liptako-Gourma region, where the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger converge.
Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali’s ruling junta, announced the charter’s signing via the social network X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Today, together with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger, I signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the aim of which is to establish an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance for the benefit of our populations.”
The Liptako-Gourma region has been plagued by militant violence in recent years, with all three nations grappling with the consequences of a militant insurgency that originally emerged in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading into Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
Coups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso
These developments come amid a backdrop of political instability, as all three countries have experienced coups since 2020. Most recently, Niger witnessed a military coup in July, resulting in the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum.
Mali’s Defense Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, outlined the alliance’s objectives during a joint press conference, stating, “This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries. Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries.”
In addition to confronting militant groups associated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, Mali is facing renewed conflict with predominantly Tuareg armed factions in recent days. These groups initiated a rebellion in 2012 but eventually signed a peace agreement with the government in 2015. However, the current status of that agreement is now in question, as renewed hostilities threaten the fragile peace in the region.
