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Alliance of Sahel States (AES)
Alliance des États du Sahel (AES)

The military leaders ruling Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger entered a new "confederation" 06 July 2024 as they signed a treaty during their first summit in Niamey, after having severed ties with an existing West African bloc. The heads of the three countries, who took power through coups in recent years, "decided to take a step further towards greater integration between the member states" and "adopted a treaty establishing a confederation", they said in a statement at the end of Saturday's summit. The "Confederation of Sahel States", which will use the acronym AES, will group some 72 million people. The AES countries in March created a joint military force to combat the jihadist groups that regularly attack their territory. They also talked about "mutualising" their approach to strategic sectors such as agriculture, water, energy and transport. They also asked that indigenous languages be given greater prominence in local media.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AoSS, also known as AES in French - Alliance des États du Sahel) is a mutual defense pact between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The pact was signed on September 16, 2023. The Sahel Alliance's goal is to improve the region's stability and global development. The alliance also coordinates and finances over 1,200 projects with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to address social, demographic, economic, and environmental challenges.

The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean eastward through northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, the great bend of the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, south-central Chad, and into Sudan. On 16 September 2023 Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger signed a mutual defence pact, as the three Sahel countries aim to help each other against possible threats of armed rebellion or external aggression.

The charter of the Alliance of Sahel States binds the signatories to assist one another – including militarily – in the event of an attack on any one of them. “Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties,” it says. It also binds the three countries to work to prevent or settle armed rebellions.

The AoSS's agreement includes:

• Pledge to support each other militarily if attacked
• Obligation to cooperate to prevent or end armed uprisings
• Commitment to help each other defend their territorial integrity from internal and external aggression

“I have today signed with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, with the aim of establishing a collective defence and mutual assistance framework,” Mali military leader Assimi Goita said on his X social media account.

The Liptako-Gourma region – where the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger borders meet – has been ravaged by armed rebellion in recent years. “This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries”, Mali’s Defence Minister Abdoulaye Diop told journalists in Bamako, the capital of Mali. “Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries.”

An armed rebellion that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015. All three states were members of the France-supported G5 Sahel alliance joint force with Chad and Mauritania, launched in 2017 to tackle armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) groups. They have undergone coups since 2020, more recently Niger, where soldiers in July overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, who cooperated with the West in the fight against Sahel-based armed groups.

The West African regional bloc ECOWAS had threatened to intervene militarily in Niger over the coup, but the regional bloc toned down its war rhetoric. Mali and Burkina Faso quickly responded by saying that any such operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.

Relations between France and the three states had soured since the coups. France has been forced to withdraw its troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, and is in a tense standoff with the military that seized power in Niger. Mali has also asked the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA to leave the country. Niger’s military rulers have asked France to withdraw its troops and its ambassador, as France has refused to recognise the new military authority. Meanwhile, Mali has seen a resumption of hostilities by predominantly Tuareg armed groups over the past week, threatening a 2015 peace agreement.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger signed a trilateral defense agreement 16 September 2023 binding the three Sahel countries to assist one another in the event of a military attack on any one of them. The agreement, known as the Liptako-Gourma Charter, was inked by the three states' military leaders, and according to Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goita, it establishes the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). With the establishment of the Alliance of Sahel Countries, the anti-French alliance in West Africa has actually been established and has a tendency to expand.

"I have today signed with the heads of state of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, with the aim of establishing a collective defense and mutual assistance framework," Goita said on X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. "This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries," Mali's Defense Minister Abdoulaye Diop told journalists.

"Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracting parties shall be considered as an aggression against the other parties and shall give rise to a duty of assistance...including the use of armed force to restore and ensure security," the agreement stated.

All the three former French colonies had been run by military juntas since 2020 and the agreement came amid simmering anti-French sentiments across the three nations. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West Africa's main regional bloc, has threatened to intervene militarily in Niger to overturn the country's military government, which came to power after a coup in July.

Mali and Burkina Faso have said they consider any attack on Niger as "declaration of war" against them as well. The pact also binds the signatories to pool their resources together towards fighting terrorism in the three countries. Mali began to experience emergence of Takfiri terrorism in 2012, which spread to Niger and Burkina Faso three years later.

"Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries," Mali's defense minister said. Mali has also witnessed resumption of hostilities by predominantly Tuareg armed groups over the past week, threatening a 2015 peace agreement.

In recent years, Lippe, at the junction of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, has The Taco-Gourma region has been ravaged by an armed insurgency. In 2017, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, with the support of France, established the Five-Country Sahel Joint Force to combat extremist organizations related to terrorism. However, since 2020, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have experienced coups. Mali announced its withdrawal from the G5 Sahel in 2022.

As for the purpose of establishing the Alliance of Sahel States among Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Nigeria’s Daily Mail believes that the alliance was established to counter the threat of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This move will exacerbate tensions between the three countries and ECOWAS.

Thousands of Nigeriens demonstrated in front of a military base housing French soldiers in Niger's capital city of Niamey to demand their departure from the West African country. "Enough is enough.... All of them have to go back to their so-called country, France," one of the protesters told AFP. The protesters waved flags of Niger while demonstrating to demand the departure of French soldiers. "We don't want France today, we don't want France tomorrow. They just have to leave our country alone," another demonstrator was quoted by AFP as saying.

The protest was held in front of an air base, which shelters part of the French contingent in Niger, near the airport in Niamey. Anti-France demonstrations began two weeks ago when tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the base to demand French troops and ambassador leave the country. Hundreds have remained ever since, vowing to continue the protest action until their demands are met.

The demonstration came after France's President Emmanuel Macron accused Niger's new leaders of taking French ambassador hostage after he refused to comply with their order to leave. Niger's military leaders gave French ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave the country after they seized power in a coup on July 26, overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum, who had the support of France. Macron, however, refused to comply or to recognize the legitimacy of the military rulers.

At the end of August, the military government revoked the diplomatic immunity of the French ambassador and ordered the police to expel him from the country. Niger's new leaders have also cancelled military cooperation agreements with France and asked the country's troops to leave quickly. France was a colonial power in West Africa until 1960. It keeps about 1,500 soldiers in Niger and has so far refused to redeploy its forces.

By 2023, the situation in Africa's Sahel region had reached alarming proportions, with the region's people becoming hostages seeking to escape the grip of harsh natural conditions and deteriorating security conditions. This geographical area stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, spanning 5,000 kilometers of desert and includes countries such as Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have suffered the worst drought on record. And climate change is exacerbating droughts. There was also security chaos, a surge in armed groups and terrorist organizations, and instability in national political systems that have been affected by foreign interference in the region for years.

Burkina Faso and Mali had governments openly oriented towards Moscow. In both states, during the coups, the fighters of the “Wagner” PMK were present. Coming to power, the rebels severed ties with France, while Russia, on the contrary, strengthened its position there. The recent rebellion in Niger was supported by the leaders of Burkina Faso and Mali, and now they have sealed relations between the countries with a charter. According to the document, any violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of any of them will be considered “as aggression against other parties to the treaty.”

“Russia has been actively using all these coups taking place in West Africa and in Africa in general recently: it establishes relations with the rebels who came to power, begins to supply weapons, “Wagnerians” and thus increases its influence on the continent. In all three of these countries, rebels are in power, there are no democratically elected governments,” explained researcher-Africanist Marta Oliynyk-Demochko.

Instability in the region is a consequence of many economic and social problems. For example, Burkina Faso, rich in manganese and gold deposits, is one of the poorest agricultural countries in the world. However, the presence of Russian influence in African countries only worsens the situation. Investigations have repeatedly appeared in the press about the fact that the fighters of the “Wagner” PMC are exporting tons of gold from the countries of the African region. Another benefit for the Kremlin is the voting of some African leaders in favor of Moscow in international organizations. And, of course, creating a propaganda image for the domestic consumer — on state television, diplomatic isolation of Russia is often refuted by friendship with African leaders.

“The problem is that Russia’s policy towards African states is actually neo-colonialist, and these influences in Africa are needed by Russia for two reasons: to pump out resources like those neo-colonialists Russia is supposedly thinking about, and to, so to speak, revive something from the former influence of the Soviet Union,” noted international political scientist Volodymyr Volya.

Russia, in its turn, helps such regimes in Africa by providing military support to PKK fighters. And, of course, blackmails the global South with food. “Russia helps them primarily as political advisers, that is, it is some kind of political consultation. Therefore, the “Wagnerians” are not only security, they often take part in the massacre of opponents, in ethnic cleansing, that is, they perform such a function as cementing the power of these undemocratic rebels. Russia is actively trying to attract grain as well, it has already promised to send ships to Mali, to Burkina Faso, to Central Africa — to those countries that are more friendly to it,” said researcher-Africanist Marta Oliynyk-Demochko.

However, Moscow’s influence on some African countries, experts are sure, is short-lived. Russian weapons and mercenaries from the Wagner PMC plummet in price after each failure on the front in Ukraine. “If it is becoming increasingly clear to many African leaders that the war on the territory of Ukraine is not in favor of Putin, then these putschist regimes will understand it over time. Therefore, I think that for now it is possible to say that such a front is forming – an anti-Western front, they say, look, Africa is waking up and Russia is supporting anti-colonial movements”, – expressed the opinion of international political scientist Volodymyr Volya.

Governments with anti-Western rhetoric supported by Moscow in African countries, Belarus, Iran, the DPRK, and other countries are scattered and supported only by authoritarian power. And such governments are shaky and short-lived, experts remind.

On 28 January 2024 the trio announced their withdrawal from the larger ECOWAS bloc for “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions” it imposed on them after coups. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso “decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal” from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), read a joint statement. ECOWAS “under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its population”, read the statement. The three countries accused the regional body of failing to support their fight against “terrorism and insecurity”, while imposing “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions”.

ECOWAS said in a statement that it had not been notified of the countries’ decision to quit the bloc. Its protocol provides that withdrawal takes up to one year to be completed. “Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali remain important members of the Community and the Authority remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse,” it said.

“Perhaps everything we’ve done has surprised you, hasn’t it?” Captain Ibrahim Traore, leader of the Burkinabe transitional government, said in an interview in February 2024. “More changes might still surprise you. And it’s not just about currency. We will break all ties that keep us in slavery.” Reports soon emerged of a possible parting with their currency, the West African franc (CFA).

Within days, his Nigerien counterpart, Abdourahmane Tchiani, confirmed that a major monetary shake-up could be in the offing. “Currency is a sign of sovereignty. … The AES member states are engaged in the process of recovering their full sovereignty. It is no longer acceptable for our states to be France’s cash cow,” he said in an interview with the state broadcaster. Their statements made headlines across a continent where criticism of the continued use of the CFA, a remnant of the French colonial system, is on the rise.

While there was no word on when the planned change will happen or if indeed it will, the desire to change the currency seems to not be uniform yet among the three countries. “It should be noted that Mali remains a member state of the UEMOA,” the West African Economic and Monetary Union, Economy and Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou said in a broadcast on Mali’s national television while presenting the annual budget.

France created the CFA in 1945 as a currency for its African colonies. Indeed, the acronym CFA initially stood for “Colonies Francaises d’Afrique” (French Colonies of Africa). This system provided France with significant economic and political influence over its African territories because it maintained control over the currency’s convertibility and monetary policy. The currency is now named “Communaute Financiere Africaine” (African Financial Community).

Eight members of UEMOA – Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo – still use the CFA. An equivalent currency, the Central African franc (also called the CFA) is being used by the six member states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

The Central Bank of West African States is no longer required to deposit half of its foreign exchange reserves with the French Treasury, an obligation that critics of the currency have long denounced as a humiliating attachment to France. Before the reform, the central bank’s governor and the French finance minister met twice annually.

Sahel Alliance

The Sahel region - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger - face many challenges, including chronic insecurity, a lack of economic prospects, and poor access to education, employment and essential services such as water and electricity. Climate change is weakening the region even more. An appropriate reaction, one that would be rapidly effective in the field, was necessary to deal with this instable and fragile situation; a response taking security challenges into account, a response capable of ensuring the region’s lasting and sustainable development.

In July 2017, several development partners launched the Sahel Alliance, an international cooperation platform to provide more and better support for development initiatives in the Sahel. Since its launch, the African Development Bank, Canada, Denmark, the European Investment Bank, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, United Nations, the United States, and the West African Development Bank have joined the initiative as full members.

Nine countries or organisations have joined the Sahel Alliance as observer members: Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, the International Finance Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Ireland and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. They participate in decision-making meetings of the Sahel Alliance as well as in the work and activities of sectoral and thematic groups, including in the field in the G5 countries. However, they do not integrate their development projects into the portfolio designated and monitored by the Alliance.