Alliance of Sahel States: Military Juntas of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali Create Joint Task Force Against Islamic Jihadists
The Sahel is a semi-arid region of western Africa below the Sahara desert to the north and above the southern tropical jungles to the south.
Historically, this was an area of heavy post-colonial French influence, but a string of coups-de-etats have all but completely erased Paris’ geopolitical clout.
Military junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have been both threatened and sanctioned by the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and by western powers alike.
The three beleaguered nations severed military ties with allies such as France and established a cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
