Sahel junta states to deploy 5,000-troop joint force

A joint force comprising 5,000 troops from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali will soon deploy in the central Sahel region to tackle persistent security threats, Niger’s Defence Minister Salifou Mody announced on state television.

This marks a significant step by the three military-led nations, which have forged a cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

The AES initiative follows coups in all three countries between 2020 and 2023, resulting in a collective break from longstanding military and diplomatic ties with France and other Western allies.

The joint force, Mody said, is equipped with air assets, intelligence resources, and operational equipment, and some initial operations have already been carried out.

“The unified AES force is nearly ready, numbering 5,000 personnel,” Mody stated. “It’s only a matter of weeks before this force will be visible on the ground.”

The Sahel region has been plagued by violence linked to Islamist groups such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State, with escalating instability displacing 2.6 million people as of December 2024, according to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

This military collaboration also follows the three countries’ withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), challenging decades of regional integration.

ECOWAS has urged the nations to reconsider their decision.

Source: Reuters

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