The Sahel is a semi-arid region of western Africa below the Sahara desert to the north and above the southern tropical jungles to the south.
Historically, this was an area of heavy post-colonial French influence, but a string of coups-de-etats have all but completely erased Paris’ geopolitical clout.
Military junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have been both threatened and sanctioned by the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and by western powers alike.
The three beleaguered nations severed military ties with allies such as France and established a cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Now, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have set up a joint task force ‘to tackle security threats across their territories’ – i.e. Islamic jihadists.
The news of the task force was given by Niger’s leader Moussa Salaou Barmou after a meeting with his counterparts.
The joint effort would indicate that the Sahel alliance will be a real thing.
Reuters reported:
“In a televised statement, Barmou said the new task force would be ‘operational as soon as possible to meet the security challenges’, but did not give further details on the size or remit of the force.
Violence in the region fuelled by the decade-long fight with Islamist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State has worsened since the three countries’ militaries seized power in a series of coups from 2020 to 2023.”
BBC reported:
“Groups linked to both Islamic State and al-Qaeda have killed thousands of people in the region in the past year.
[…] Violence in West Africa’s Sahel region has worsened in recent years despite the military governments’ promises to deal with the decade-long conflict with jihadist groups.”
The decade-old UN peacekeeping mission in Mali was also ordered to withdraw “without delay”, and completed the exit last December.
“The military regimes have strengthened ties with Russia, which has moved in to fill the void.”
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This story originally appeared on TheGateWayPundit
