Officials from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger met this week to coordinate regional security strategy, as armed groups continue to operate across their shared borders in Africa’s Sahel region. The meeting, held in Bamako, focused on joint military operations under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a mutual defense pact established by the three nations’ military governments.
The security landscape in the central Sahel is shaped by the activities of several non-state armed organizations. The primary groups are Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an affiliate of al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
According to reports from the United Nations and conflict-monitoring organizations, these groups are active across large areas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. JNIM was formed in 2017 as a coalition of several existing groups and has since claimed responsibility for attacks on military and civilian targets. ISGS, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2015, also carries out operations in the tri-border area where the three countries meet. The two groups have at times fought each other for territory and influence.
The formation of the Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023 marked a formal shift in the region’s security architecture. It was created following a series of events that included the withdrawal of French forces from Operation Barkhane and the conclusion of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The leaders of the AES have stated their intent to manage regional security without direct intervention from Western nations.
In joint statements, the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have emphasized their commitment to pooling military resources to counter the armed groups. This has included launching coordinated military campaigns in border regions. The three countries have also deepened security cooperation with the Russian Federation.
The ongoing conflict has had a significant humanitarian impact. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a non-governmental organization that tracks political violence, has documented thousands of fatalities in the region in recent years. Additionally, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that millions of people have been internally displaced across the three countries due to the instability.
The meeting in Bamako concluded with a joint communiqué reaffirming the AES members’ commitment to their mutual defense pact and their strategy for addressing the armed groups operating within their territories.
