US EditionMali, Burkina Faso, Niger Launch Unified Force
- On Saturday the 5,000-strong United Force of the Alliance of Sahel States was formally launched at an air force base in Bamako, uniting troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
- Following their ECOWAS withdrawal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger cited an expanding Islamist insurgency and aimed to reduce reliance on ECOWAS-led structures through deeper integration.
- Defence ministers of the three countries and ambassadors and international representatives accredited to Mali attended the Bamako ceremony, while organisers confirmed a command base in Niamey, Niger.
- Tensions with Nigeria have risen as regional interventions increased; shortly, a Nigerian Air Force C-130 made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso, where Burkinabe authorities briefly detained 11 crew members, later releasing them after diplomatic talks.
- Closer ties with Russia accompany growing Western pressure, including recent United States travel limits on Alliance of Sahel States; on Monday the three announced ICC withdrawal, calling it `neo-colonial`.
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20 Articles
The Confederation strengthened its financial, communication and regional defence autonomy.
In Bamako, a 48-hour meeting of the leaders of the juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso opens on Monday, 22 December. The three leaders, gathered within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), intend to strengthen their regional cooperation. According to the official programme, General Abdourahamane Tiani, President of the National Council for the Protection of the Motherland in Niger, and Captain Ibrahim Traoré, head of the Burkinabè junta, will …
West African juntas launch 5,000-troop NATO-style force amid foreign intervention fears
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have launched a joint military force to counter Islamist insurgencies in the Sahel, highlighting growing security and political tensions in West Africa as Nigeria seeks to assert itself as a regional stabiliser.
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