The historic Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel took place 19-21 November in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Hundreds of participants gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Centre from popular movements and organisations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States to express solidarity with the people of the Sahel, an arid region south of the Sahara Desert.
In a powerful speech during the event, Jonis Ghedi Alasow, the executive director of Pan-Africanism Today, coordinator of its secretariat and one of the conference organisers, described the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) as a beacon of hope for states that were once under France’s oppressive rule. However, even after the end of formal colonialism, most French-speaking African countries were forced to use the France-controlled CFA franc currency.
Between 2021 and 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—with the support of their populations—expelled Western-aligned governments through coups d’état and demanded the withdrawal of French troops from their territories. These countries faced isolation from their Western-aligned neighbours, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which imposed sanctions in response. To further defend their territories against the scourge of terrorism that Western military occupations had not stopped, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger united to form the AES confederation, an anti-imperialist bloc that shares defence, economic and foreign policies. It plans to move toward becoming a federation, with the goal of continental unification.
The conference symbolised hope in the ongoing struggle against neocolonialism in Africa’s Sahel region and throughout Africa, igniting the spirit of revolution among African peoples.
Video credit: @peoplesdispatch (x)