Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formed a defence alliance

The military-ruled West African states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have formed a defensive alliance, according to information from Bamako. Mali’s interim president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, announced on Saturday the signing of a charter establishing the so-called Alliance of the Sahel States (AES). “The goal is to create an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance of the parties,” the document said.

With the Charter, the parties commit themselves to combating terrorism and organized crime, it added. “Any violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more Contracting Parties shall be considered as aggression against the other Contracting Parties and shall oblige all Contracting Parties to assist and remedy … including the use of armed force.” Burkina Faso’s interim president Ibrahim Traoré and Nigerien junta chief Abdourahamane Tiani also appeared in photos published on Saturday at the signing of the document.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are located in the Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara and have been plagued for years by Islamist terrorist groups that carry out bloody attacks against civilians and increasingly control territory. In Niger, the military has been in power since July, in Burkina Faso since last year, and in Mali there was the most recent coup in 2021.

Mali and Burkina Faso had already sided with Niger when the West African community of states Ecowas threatened military intervention there after the coup. In the dispute, all three states have turned their backs on the ex-colonial power France, which had previously been active with military aid. Mali relies on Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group in the fight against terrorists.

The security situation threatens to deteriorate significantly in all countries. In the wake of the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA from Mali by the end of the year, there are already more attacks and the threat of a renewed conflict with the separatist Tuareg. In Niger, which was the last democratic partner of the US and European states in the region, cooperation with foreign partners has been largely on hold since the coup.