Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced the Alliance of Sahel States will launch "large-scale" joint operations against armed groups within days, following an AES summit that launched a joint battalion and a 5,000-strong unified force. The three coup-led states left ECOWAS in 2024, expelled Western security partners and are deepening ties with Russia while pledging closer security and economic cooperation. Leaders also launched AES Television to counter hostile narratives and described early operational successes.
Burkina Faso's Traoré Signals Imminent 'Large-Scale' AES Operations as Sahel Alliance Deepens Ties
Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, left, General Assimi Goita of Mali, centre, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger attend the second summit on security and development in Bamako, Mali, on December 23, 2025 [Handout/Mali Government Information Center via AP Photo]
Burkina Faso’s interim leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, announced that the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) will launch "large-scale" joint operations against armed groups in the coming days. The declaration came at the conclusion of the AES summit, held days after the bloc unveiled a joint military battalion and announced formation of a 5,000-strong AES Unified Force (FU-AES).
Summit Decisions and Military Plans
Traoré, newly installed as AES chief, offered few operational details but said the member states — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — are coordinating intensified security action against groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). The three countries pledged to deepen security and economic cooperation and to sustain their new regional framework after withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2024.
Shifting Alliances and Regional Sovereignty
The military-led governments have expelled longtime security partners France and the United States and have sought closer ties with Russia. Delegates hailed the FU-AES as a major milestone in the bloc’s bid to assert regional sovereignty and coordinate cross-border operations.
"No country or interest group will decide for our countries any more," said Niger’s military leader General Omar Tchiani, adding that the AES had "put an end to all occupation forces in our countries."
Messaging and Information Strategy
The summit also launched a joint broadcaster, AES Television, which Malian President General Assimi Goïta described as a strategic channel "to break disinformation campaigns and hostile narratives targeting our states." Goïta reported positive operational results, saying that "several terrorist bases" had been destroyed, though he did not provide independent verification of those claims.
Economic Agenda and Regional Outlook
Leaders rejected narratives that portray the Sahel as irredeemably poor, highlighting what they called the region’s "immense mining and agricultural potential." Traoré warned of a looming period of external pressure and instability he called the "Black Winter," describing it as a campaign of threats, violence and economic coercion aimed at undermining Sahelian sovereignty.
Observers note that despite international sanctions and strained relations with Western partners, the AES appears to have domestic support in the three countries and is working to expand cooperation beyond military operations to include economic and information initiatives.
