Keypoints:
- AES launches a joint regional broadcaster headquartered in Bamako
- Media push follows Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger’s exit from ECOWAS
- Television network complements new security and financial institutions
LEADERS of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have formally launched a joint regional television broadcaster, signalling a fresh push to consolidate political, security and information sovereignty across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
AES Television was inaugurated on Tuesday in Bamako by Mali’s transitional president Gen. Assimi Goita, Burkina Faso’s president Capt. Ibrahim Traore and Niger’s head of state Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani. The launch took place during a two-day summit in the Malian capital convened to assess the first year of the AES confederation.
Official communications described the new broadcaster as a strategic instrument to counter disinformation, strengthen public communication and promote a shared Sahelian narrative at a time of profound geopolitical realignment in West Africa.
Media sovereignty after ECOWAS
The creation of AES Television follows the formal withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2025, ending a year-long disengagement process marked by diplomatic tensions and sanctions.
Since leaving the regional bloc, AES leaders have accelerated efforts to construct parallel institutions, arguing that existing frameworks no longer reflect their political realities or security priorities. Control over information and messaging has emerged as a central pillar of that strategy, particularly as the three states confront insurgencies and strained relations with Western partners.
A statement from the Burkinabe presidency said the Bamako summit would review implementation reports, adopt decisions to consolidate achievements and address key challenges facing the confederation. President Traore was also scheduled to meet members of the Burkinabe community resident in Mali during his visit.
Linking security, finance and information
AES Television joins a growing ecosystem of joint initiatives launched by the bloc over the past year. Most recently, the alliance announced the operationalisation of the AES Unified Force (FU-AES), a 5,000-strong regional military structure headquartered in Niamey and mandated to combat armed groups operating across the central Sahel.
Security cooperation remains the backbone of the confederation, as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger continue to face sustained attacks from jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates. Leaders argue that deeper coordination outside ECOWAS structures offers greater operational autonomy and strategic coherence.
Economic integration is also advancing. The AES has established the Confederal Bank for Investment and Development (BCID-AES), capitalised at 500 bn CFA francs, or nearly $900 m. The bank is intended to finance infrastructure, energy and agricultural projects while reducing dependence on external donors and international financial institutions.
Shaping the Sahel’s narrative
With a combined population of about 78 million people, the AES is positioning itself as more than a security pact. Officials increasingly frame the confederation as a sovereign political and economic bloc capable of defining its own development and diplomatic trajectory.
Within that vision, AES Television is expected to play a central role. By broadcasting from Bamako to audiences across the three member states, the channel aims to speak directly to citizens and challenge what leaders see as hostile or misleading external portrayals of the Sahel.
Details on the broadcaster’s editorial governance, funding model and programming remain limited. However, its launch underscores how information control has become as strategically important as borders, troops and budgets for the alliance.
As the AES deepens cooperation across defence, finance and now media, the new television network reflects a broader ambition: to tell the Sahel’s story in its own voice, on its own terms, at a moment when the region is redefining its place in West Africa and beyond.
