Three West African Sahel countries—Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—ruled by military juntas pledged on Saturday to support one another in the event of an internal uprising or foreign assault.
The three nations have difficulty containing Islamic insurgents affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and the coups have damaged their relationships with regional and international allies.
The Economic Community of West African States, a regional bloc that has threatened to use force to restore constitutional government in the country, is more divided due to the most recent coup in Niger.
In case of an assault, Mali and Burkina Faso have committed to help Niger.
The Alliance of Sahel States’ charter states, “Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties.”
It declared that other nations would offer support either singly or collectively, including through the use of force.
Assimi Goita, the head of the Mali junta, posted on his X social media account, “I have today signed with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States with the aim of establishing a collective defense and mutual assistance framework.”
The G5 Sahel alliance, a joint force with Chad and Mauritania, was established in 2017 to combat Islamist organizations in the region, including all three of these countries as members.
Following a military takeover, Mali quit the inactive organization. The former president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, declared the force “dead” in May last year.
Since the coups, ties between France and the three states have deteriorated.
After being ordered to withdraw its ambassador and troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, France is now engaged in a tense standoff with the junta that has taken control of Niger. France has declined to acknowledge the junta’s power.
