In January 2017, the then G5 members Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced the creation of a “Multinational Force to Secure Liptako-Gourma”. [FMS/LG]based on the Multinational Joint Force model [FMM] which had been implemented some time previously by the countries of the Lake Chad Basin [Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger et Tchad] to combat the jihadist group Boko Haram.
” We decided [….] the pooling of our intelligence resources and our capabilities [militaires] operational measures to address the security situation” in Liptako-Gourma [c’est à dire la région des « trois frontières », ndlr] had actually declared Mahamadou Issoufou, the then President of Niger.
It was only a few weeks later that the G5 Sahel again floated the idea of establishing a joint force [FCG5S] in order to be able to fight more effectively against jihadist groups in the region by setting up seven battalions [soit 5000 soldats] provided by Member States and deployed in three zones [ouest / centre / est].
But despite the support of the French force Barkhane, this FCG5S had difficulty establishing itself… And Mali dealt it the final blow, so to speak, by withdrawing from the G5 Sahel after the coup that brought Colonel Assimi Goïta power.
Since then, Burkina Faso and Niger have followed the same path as Mali and are now led by coup plotters who also do not hide their displeasure with France. In addition, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner has established itself in the Sahel and Bamako has requested its services.
Furthermore, since the overthrow of President Bazoum on July 26, Burkina Faso and Mali have moved closer to Niger and have even promised assistance in the event that ECOWAS launches a military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niamey.
In this context, on September 16, these three countries concluded a “security pact” with the signing of the “Liptako-Gourma Charter”. The aim is to create the “Alliance of the Sahel States” and to establish an “architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance”.
Thus, Article 6 of this Charter provides that “any attack on the sovereignty and integrity of the territory of one or more Contracting Parties shall be considered an attack against the other Parties and shall entail an obligation to support and assist all Parties individually or collectively, inclusive.” the use of armed force to restore and ensure security within the area covered by the Alliance.
Apparently this is a collective defense clause as provided for in Article 5 of NATO.
In pictures the presentation of the LIPTAKO-GOURMA Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States between Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, subject of the animated press conference this Saturday, September 16, 2023. pic.twitter.com/okSjsMUmyY
— Amb. Abdoulaye Diop (@AbdoulayeDiop8) September 17, 2023
“This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries,” said Abdoulaye Diop, the head of Malian diplomacy. “Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries,” he emphasized.
At first glance, this pact could allow parts of the Wagner Group, located in Malian territory, to operate under the guise of fighting jihadist groups in Niger. However, the security situation in Mali has deteriorated further in recent days, with tensions between Bamako and the former Tuareg independence rebels becoming increasingly clear and the bar increasingly being raised.