Africa: A “force” of 5,000 soldiers for Niger, Mali and Burkina

A “unified force” of 5,000 soldiers from the armies of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, three Sahelian countries governed by military juntas, will emerge in the coming weeks to fight against jihadists, the Nigerien minister of Defense.

These three countries where civilian regimes were overthrown in putsches between 2020 and 2023, formed a confederation last year, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). “In this common space, our forces will now be able to intervene together,” declared General Salifou Mody, specifying that this “unified force, which is practically ready, has a strength of 5,000 men”.

“This unified force will not only have its personnel, but its air assets, its land assets, its intelligence assets and, of course, its coordination system,” he added during an interview on Nigerien public television. , explaining that it is a “matter of weeks” before it is operational.

“Share our efforts”

The three countries of the AES constitute a vast landlocked territory of 2.8 million square kilometers, four times the size of France. They have faced recurring attacks from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State for a decade.

“We are in the same space, we face the same types of threats, in particular this threat from criminal groups. We had to pool our efforts,” declared General Mody. “It’s new, it’s original and it’s reassuring for our space and for our populations,” he added.

The AES countries are already carrying out occasional joint operations against jihadists, particularly in the three-border area where attacks are most numerous.

Departure from ECOWAS

They announced their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional organization which they consider particularly ineffective in the face of their security challenges and which had threatened to attack Niger after the coup. Status of July 2023.

This departure will be effective on January 29, one year after the announcement, in accordance with the organization’s texts. The AES also accuses ECOWAS of being subservient to France, the former colonial power to which they have all turned their backs, favoring new partners like Russia.

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