General Ciani, Colonel Goita and Captain Traoré carried the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Niger and Burkina Faso, to the font on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

This new group was born as a result of the signing of the Liptako-Gourma Charter. [région historique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest située entre le Niger, le Burkina Faso et le Mali] three heads of state aimed at “to create an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance” between the contracting parties for the purpose “preventing, managing and settling any armed insurrection or other threat affecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each member country.”

The least we can say is that everything happened very quickly, and to understand why three states were engaged in this race against time, we must surely examine the specific context of the birth of this new organization with a military essence in the West African landscape. . Indeed, AES was born in the context of intense political and military tensions following the coup d’état that ended the regime of Mohamed Bazoum in Niger.

The putsch proved too much for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following coups in Mali, Guinea-Conakry and Burkina Faso. Since then, the West African organization has threatened military intervention to restore constitutional legitimacy in Niger.

Alliance of the Damned Sahel

Mali and Burkina Faso, feeling the same threat hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles, took up the Niger cause. As a result, the Alliance of Sahel States is merely a formalization of the front against ECOWAS, fueled by the feeling that the subregional organization appears to be hemiplegic in the face of the security crisis in the Sahel, but is regaining its enthusiasm. defend democratic freedoms, forgetting that the first right is the right to life.

It is therefore also necessary to establish a link between the emergence of the AEC and the overall context of chronic instability in the Sahel, which is under the controlled control of terrorist groups that are wreaking terror and havoc in three states without anyone being able to put an end to it. this terrible cancer that is eating away at the political, economic, social and cultural fabric of West Africa.

Having tried foreign military assistance to overcome the danger, these three states, which also believe that some states, the main actors of the international community, are at least responsible, if not guilty, and complicit in the situation in the Sahel. trying to find an endogenous solution by pooling their efforts and resources. Thus, it can be said that AES is a defensive reaction of the damned of the Sahel against the international community, which, in the name of its interests, is torturing the Sahel.

Minister of State [burkinabè]Moreover, Bassolma Bazier recalled this at the G77 plus China summit as follows: “When in areas where there are no weapons or ammunition factories, terrorists spread terror and devastation, closing thousands of schools and health centers and displacing the population into near-dangerous conditions. armed foreign powers in place, is this protecting human rights?

Legitimate reaction

We must fear that a possible new political upheaval in at least one of the three states will bury the union.

In any case, we can say that the birth of AES is a legitimate reaction and that is why we should welcome this initiative, which is very likely to bring benefits in the fight against terrorism.

We know that terrorist groups very often play against the fighting forces of different states, taking advantage of porous borders and lack of coordination in actions to combat the creatures of evil. This initiative is all the more welcome since, unlike the G5 Sahel, this grouping is completely endogenous and knows that its success will depend solely on its internal capabilities.

However, we can ask ourselves the following question: what are the chances of AES succeeding? “The union, they say, is strength.” By combining forces and intelligence, AES should be able to deal serious blows to terrorist groups who must now be deprived of backup bases after their crimes in a particular country.

And this is also all the harm we wish to the signatories of the Liptako-Gourma Charter, who, however, may find themselves in difficulty due to funds. We know that these countries, even if they are considered rich in mineral resources, are poor. It is now known that the driving force of war is money.

Khaki Powers

Another major threat to this group is political instability. We must fear that a possible new political upheaval in at least one of the three states will – fingers crossed – bury the union. Worse, the organization was born with the original sin of bearing the hostility of certain sub-regional and global powers that would not help but obstruct its path.

This possibility is all the more likely because AES is not without serious concerns: it is more like a coalition of khaki powers.

Anything that could give ideas to other khaki wearers who dream of seizing power by force of arms and finding a rear base in the AEC. Above all, we must fear that AES will radicalize divisions in the subregion through a game of military alliances reminiscent of the eve of two world wars.