NextFin News - On December 23, 2025, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger convened in Bamako, Mali, to hold the second summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The meeting, attended by military leaders including Capt. Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso), Gen. Assimi Goïta (Mali), and Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani (Niger), focused on enhancing joint military action against extremist armed groups active in the Sahel region. The alliance declared the formation and weekend launch of a joint battalion composed of approximately 5,000 troops. Capt. Traoré, the newly named AES leader, emphatically stated that this battalion must be followed by "large-scale operations in the coming days" to decisively confront and diminish extremist influence.
The context of this development is critical: the Sahel, a vast belt south of the Sahara, is recognized as the world’s deadliest region for jihadist extremism, with groups affiliated to al Qaeda and the Islamic State entrenched across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. These countries have recently experienced multiple military coups and continue to grapple with overstretched domestic security forces, necessitating deeper regional coordination. Importantly, the AES nations have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2025 and expelled traditional Western military partners, including France and the United States, opting instead to align notably with Russia for security support.
According to Niger's Gen. Tchiani, AES member states have terminated all presence of foreign “occupation forces,” underscoring a decisive departure from previous dependency on Western military assistance. This realignment is evidenced by increasing Russian security collaboration, which has raised international attention given the geopolitical shifts in African security partnerships. The summit also endorsed enhanced economic cooperation as a complementary dimension to security efforts, signifying recognition of the interlinked nature of socio-economic stability and violent extremism mitigation.
Experts such as Rida Lyammouri of the Policy Center for the New South in Morocco remark that the Sahel’s fragility and complexity make the extremist challenge “very difficult to defeat” regardless of the alliance's composition, pointing to endemic governance issues, porous borders, and the adaptability of jihadist networks. Nonetheless, Ulf Laessing from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation observes that the alliance has gained notable popularity among local populations and is making strides to extend cooperation beyond military operations, potentially setting a foundation for a more integrated regional security architecture.
The formation of a sizable joint battalion and planned large-scale operations mark a significant tactical escalation aimed at disrupting extremist sanctuaries and operational capabilities. This development can be viewed within a broader trend of African states seeking greater security autonomy and redefining their foreign partnerships amidst evolving global power dynamics.
From an analytical standpoint, the AES’s strategy reflects a pragmatic regional response to the persistent security vacuum left by departing Western forces. By consolidating their military strength and leveraging alternative international support, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger aim to enhance operational effectiveness against decentralized extremist factions. The committed deployment of 5,000 troops in integrated operations suggests a scale intended to project control over key territories and interdict insurgent movements – a marked shift from fragmented counterterrorism efforts of prior years.
Economically, bolstering regional cooperation alongside security measures may facilitate stabilization essential for attracting investment and addressing root socioeconomic drivers of extremism, such as poverty, unemployment, and disenfranchisement. Sustained peace and order foster improved governance, infrastructure development, and access to basic services, thereby reducing extremist recruitment pools.
Looking forward, the success of these joint operations will depend on multiple factors: effective coordination amongst militaries with differing internal challenges, sustained political will amid fragile state institutions, and management of international diplomatic relations given the pivot away from Western allies toward Russia. Additionally, extremist groups are likely to adapt tactically, possibly escalating asymmetric warfare methods that complicate conventional military responses.
The U.S. President’s administration, observing these shifts, may need to recalibrate its Sahel policy to balance strategic interests with respect for regional sovereignty and evolving alliance structures. Monitoring of the AES’s operational impacts will be vital for anticipating future crisis trajectories and informing global counterterrorism support mechanisms.
In summary, the AES’s call for immediate large-scale joint military operations embodies a decisive regional strategy to confront chronic extremism in the Sahel. While ambitious, this approach encapsulates the complexities of regional security, geopolitical realignments, and socioeconomic stabilization efforts, setting a critical precedent for Africa’s autonomous handling of internal security challenges.
Explore more exclusive insights at nextfin.ai.
