Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announced the establishment of an anti-terrorism force to combat extremist rebellions in their respective countries, following discussions in Niamey about providing an immediate solution to shared security challenges in the West African region, announced Niger’s army Chief, Moussa Salaou Barmou, on Wednesday.
Moussa Salaou Barmou stated that the newly formed force will be “functional as soon as possible to tackle the security challenges in our region.”
“We have no doubt that with the joint efforts of our three countries, we will be successful in creating the conditions of joint security,” he said.
The tripartite force will be directed by a strategic approach to achieve military and security objectives.
This joint project reflects evolving geopolitical realities, as the three countries disengage themselves from former colonial power France in favor of tighter ties with Russia.
The move follows their multilateral partnership resulting in the “Alliance of Sahel States,” a defense agreement established in September, 2023, the objective of which was to create a federation.
The three African nations located in the Sahel have been embroiled in a decade-long struggle with extremist Islamist militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS.