From April 8 to 11, 2025, military experts from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met in Ouagadougou to strengthen security cooperation within the Confederation of Sahel States (AES)
With the coordinated military operations of the Confederation of Sahel States intensifying on the ground, military experts from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met in Ouagadougou from April 8 to 11 to lay the groundwork for a joint confederal force.
This represents a major step in building an autonomous Sahelian response to security
threats.
According to the General Staff of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces, the discussions focused on assessing ongoing operations and the practical modalities for implementing the Defense and Security pillar of the AES, in accordance with the shared vision of the heads of state.
This meeting comes as the three countries, in transition following coups, have broken with Ecowas and left the G5 Sahel to assert their sovereignty in security matters.
A few days before this meeting, the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) announced several operations in northern Mali. On March 28, 2025, AES forces intercepted a suspicious vehicle in Djidara, in the Gao region (north), with two suspected terrorists on board.
On March 29, airstrikes were carried out in Hourara and Fitilli, in the same region, against cross-border armed groups, as part of coordinated operations by the confederation.
These actions are intended to illustrate the growing military cooperation within the AES, supported by the increasing use of Turkish armed drones, deployed by the three armies for surveillance and
targeted strikes.
This momentum is in line with the announcements made last January by Niger’s Minister of Defense, General Salifou Mody, who confirmed the creation of a unified military force of 5,000 troops.
In an interview with Tele Sahel, he specified that this force would have its own resources – air, land, and intelligence – and would be rapidly operational. “It’s a matter of weeks for this force to be visible on the ground,” the minister declared.
The Ouagadougou meeting appears to be part of the consolidation of this political will to build an independent and coordinated Sahelian security architecture in the face of persistent transnational threats.
This meeting is taking place against a backdrop of growing tensions between Mali and Algeria, following the downing of a Malian drone by the Algerian military and the closure of airspace between the two countries.
In support of Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey recalled their ambassadors to Algiers.
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