Junta-led Sahel states ready to deploy new joint armed forces
A joint armed force of 5,000 composed of troops from Junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali will soon be ready to deploy in the Sahel region.
Reported by Reuters on January 22nd, Niger’s Defence Chief said on state television that the new force “would have its own air assets, equipment, and intelligence resources and operate across the territory of the three nations” as part of their cooperation pact named the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Violence in the Sahel region in the last decade has been characterised by the fight against Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, worsening since the military coups.
Reuters reported that around 2.6 million people were displaced within the region as of the end of December 2024, according to the latest figures from the UN Humanitarian Agency OCHA.
The creation of the joint force is the latest geopolitical move in the region as the three continue to isolate themselves from broader, continental integration, in favour of a more localised approach to security concerns.
Juntas in the West African countries seized power in a series of coups between 2020 and 2023 before severing ties with “long-standing military and diplomatic ties”, according to Reuters.
Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali were suspended from ECOWAS, West Africa’s main political and economic bloc following the military coups. The juntas responded by accusing ECOWAS of being influenced by foreign powers and withdrew in December 2023.
The juntas also severed ties with their former colonial power France, causing the withdrawal of French troops from the region – a move French President Macron indicated showed ingratitude.
The development of the AES, and its joint military force appears to be expanding with Togo’s Foreign Minister hinting that Togo may join the AES, reported by Maghrebi on January 20th.
It can be said then that the continental approach to security has fractured, as the major geopolitical realignment of the Sahel region continues.
Reuters
