Keypoints:
- The Alliance of Sahel States unveils a joint multinational security force
- Leaders say coordinated strikes are already under way across borders
- The move reinforces the bloc’s post-ECOWAS security strategy
THE Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has formally launched its joint security force, marking a significant escalation in military cooperation between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger as the three countries pursue a shared strategy against armed groups in the central Sahel.
The force was officially unveiled on Saturday in Bamako, where Mali’s transitional president, Assimi Goita, presided over a ceremony handing over the unit’s flag, weapons, combat vehicles and ambulances. The event signalled the start of coordinated operations by the new force across the territories of the three member states.
President Goita described the unit as a ‘strategic multinational force’ that will operate under the name United Force of the Alliance of Sahel States (FU-AES). He said it draws its troops from the national armed forces of the three countries and is designed to act as a unified response to cross-border security threats.
Defence ministers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, along with senior military commanders, attended the ceremony, underscoring the political and strategic importance of the new force for the AES bloc.
Operations already under way
Although Saturday marked the formal establishment of the FU-AES, President Goita said joint operations had already begun. According to him, soldiers from the three countries have carried out coordinated ‘precision strikes’ against militant targets within their respective territories.
He said the strikes had resulted in the killing of ‘several terrorist leaders’ and the destruction of what he described as criminal sanctuaries, though no further details were provided. Independent verification of the claims was not immediately possible.
Goita added that the joint force would rely on ‘meticulous planning, strategic anticipation and efficient information-sharing’ to confront armed groups operating across the Sahel’s porous borders. The region has become one of the most volatile security theatres in the world, with violence increasingly spilling across national boundaries.
As current chair of the AES, the Malian leader said the alliance’s mission and shared purpose were ‘irreversible’, signalling a long-term commitment to deeper integration among the three military-led governments.
Leadership and doctrine
Mali’s defence minister, Sadio Camara, said the FU-AES would be guided by what he termed ‘Sahelian values of solidarity, mutual help and dignity’, framing the force as a home-grown response to the region’s security crisis.
The bloc has appointed Daouda Traore, a brigadier-general from Burkina Faso, as commander of the joint force. In a statement, Mali’s presidency said Traore would bear ‘the heavy responsibility of leading this multinational force in a demanding security context, in the service of the stability and sovereignty of the AES space’.
The choice of a Burkinabè officer to lead the force reflects efforts to distribute leadership roles among the three partners, even as Mali has played a central role in driving the alliance’s security agenda.
A region under pressure
The Sahel has faced years of escalating violence linked to jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Thousands of people are killed each year in attacks across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, while millions have been displaced, according to analysis by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies.
The launch of the FU-AES comes after the three countries formally withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025, arguing that the regional body no longer served their security and political interests. Since then, the governments have sought to recast regional cooperation on their own terms.
The AES was first proposed in September 2023 and formally established in July 2024. Beyond security, the bloc has said it aims to cooperate on trade, infrastructure and broader political coordination, positioning itself as an alternative regional framework in West Africa.
Saturday’s ceremony in Bamako suggests that military integration remains the cornerstone of the alliance, as its leaders seek to demonstrate resolve and capacity amid a security crisis that continues to test the region’s stability.
