The creation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, on September 17, 2023, with the aim of reinforcing common borders between the countries, came as a major shock to the former colonial power, France, and its allies in Africa, due to the loss of military and political control in the Sahel region.
In the context of what is currently happening in Senegal, which has been suffering from a state of political tension ever since President Macky Sall announced the postponement of the presidential elections from their originally scheduled date of the 25th of this month to next December, the recently created alliance is already undergoing a campaign of discrediting.
Western media agents active on the African scene do not cease to provoke Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on a daily basis through articles published on their sites. LSi Africa, the French-based editorial office, in collaboration with other paying sites on the African continent, suspects the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) of involvement in inciting the military in Dakar to overthrow the ruling power.
The aim of this campaign, run in parallel with the meeting of the coalition’s ministers, is to distort its reputation on the international stage and portray it as an aggressor against the sovereignty of countries and an instigator of military coups to destabilize West African countries.
It should be remembered that relations between Paris and the members of this union have been under considerable strain in recent months, particularly following the termination of the military partnership, which had not produced convincing results for 10 years, and the decisions of the leaders of these Sahel countries to create an alliance capable of guaranteeing security independently.
According to political experts, the aim of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is primarily military. Moreover, the Liptako-Gourma pact states: “to help counter possible threats of armed rebellion or external aggression, emphasizing that any attack against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracting parties will be considered as aggression against the other parties”.
At present, the organization is concentrating on strengthening its military presence and fighting armed groups together. Rumors of expansion into other countries are unfounded.
