Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have teamed up to form a joint military force of 5,000 troops whose job it will be to tackle armed groups in the Sahel region. This was announced on 20 January by Niger’s Defence Minister, General Salifou Mody, during a chat with the Nigerien state broadcaster RTN.
Mody mentioned that this new force will have ground, air and intelligence capabilities, enabling it to operate across all three countries.
The unified military effort is the fruit of collaboration between AES members, aimed at addressing the long-standing instability caused by terrorist activities in the area. Despite French military operations from 2013 to 2022 (Operations Serval and Barkhane) in five countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – insecurity has continued to increase. The US also had military bases in Niger, but last year Niamey sent US personnel packing.
In 2022 and 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger pulled out of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, citing the need to regain control over their security from foreign-backed entities. (G5 was set up in 2017 to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts, with an initial grant of €100 million from the European Union.) In 2024, they left ECOWAS and established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with a focus on unified defence, economic and foreign policies.
Commenting on the AES’s latest move, Niger’s defence chief stated, “We are in the same place, we face the same type of threats, especially this threat of criminal groups. We have to join forces.”
Could this inspire other African nations to strengthen their self-reliance?
Sources:
https://www.africanews.com/2025/01/22/alliance-of-sahel-states-to-form-5000-troop-military-unit/