A mutual defense pact was signed on Saturday by the military heads of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, ministerial delegations from the three Sahel nations reported in Bamako, Mali.
Assimi Goita, the head of Mali’s junta, sent a message on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, stating that the Liptako-Gourma Charter creates the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
“Establish an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance for the benefit of our populations,” he wrote, is the organization’s stated goal.
The Liptako-Gourma region, where the frontiers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger converge, has recently been devastated by jihadism.
According to Mali’s Defence Minister Abdoulaye Diop, “This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries.”
“Our top priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries.”
2015 saw the spread of a jihadist insurgency that began in northern Mali in 2012 to Niger and Burkina Faso.
Since 2020, coups have taken place in all three nations, most recently in Niger in July when soldiers deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
In response to the coup, the West African regional group ECOWAS has vowed to act militarily in Niger.
Immediately in response, Mali and Burkina Faso declared that any such action would be regarded as a “declaration of war” against them.