NIAMEY, Jan 22 – Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali are set to deploy a unified military force of 5,000 troops to combat escalating insecurity in the central Sahel region, Niger’s Defense Minister Salifou Mody announced Tuesday on state television.
The three nations, governed by military juntas following coups between 2020 and 2023, formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to coordinate their response to shared security threats. The new force will operate across the three territories, equipped with its own air support, equipment, and intelligence resources.
“The unified AES force is nearly ready, numbering 5,000 personnel,” Mody said, adding that its deployment on the ground would begin within weeks. He also noted that some joint operations had already commenced.
The Sahel has been plagued by violence fueled by Islamist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State, which has displaced approximately 2.6 million people as of December, according to U.N. agency OCHA.
The alliance emerged after the three nations withdrew from the West African bloc ECOWAS.
