Sahel juntas to deploy 5,000-strong joint force

Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali are set to deploy a 5,000-strong joint military force in the volatile central Sahel region, Niger’s Defence Minister Salifou Mody announced on state television.

The military-led governments of these West African nations, which came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023, agreed last year to cooperate on security after breaking military and diplomatic ties with France and other Western allies.

Minister Mody revealed that the new force, part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), will include air assets, equipment, and intelligence resources. “The unified AES force is nearly ready, numbering 5,000 personnel,” he said, adding that the troops would operate across all three countries. Initial joint operations have already begun, with the full deployment expected within weeks.

The Sahel has been plagued by worsening violence linked to Islamist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and Islamic State, forcing approximately 2.6 million people to flee their homes by the end of 2024, according to U.N. data.

The AES was formed after the three countries withdrew from the West African political and economic bloc ECOWAS, a move that reversed years of regional integration. ECOWAS continues to urge the nations to reconsider their departure.

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