Chad signals intent to join Alliance of Sahel States

Chad has officially signaled its intent to join the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional bloc currently comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

This development is a significant step towards greater unity and cooperation among Sahel nations.

The AES has been taking bold steps towards unification, including the creation of a single national anthem.

The alliance will share a single passport, have a unified military, and is working towards establishing a common currency.

Citizens, goods, and businesses will move freely across all three nations, and a joint defense agreement is in place, where an attack on one member state will be considered an attack on all.

Chad’s potential membership could enhance the alliance’s regional influence and economic power.

The Sahel region has faced significant security challenges, including terrorist attacks and insurgencies.

The AES’s joint defense agreement and unified military efforts aim to address these threats and promote regional stability.

As the AES continues to grow and strengthen its ties, it is likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping the region’s future.

With Chad’s potential membership, the alliance may welcome more members and rise as a global force, promoting unity and cooperation among its member states.

About the Alliance

The Alliance of Sahel States is a confederation formed between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

It originated as a mutual defense pact created on 16 September 2023 following the 2023 Nigerien crisis, in which the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily to restore civilian rule after a coup in Niger earlier that year.

All three member states are former members of ECOWAS and currently under the control of juntas following a string of successful coups, the 2021 Malian coup d’état, the September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d’état, and the 2023 Niger coup d’état.

The confederation was established on 6 July 2024.

Within the territory of the AES, there are various terrorist and insurgent groups including ISSP, Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and various separatist rebels fighting in Northern Mali such as the Azawad Movement.

In 2024, the AES cut off military relations with Western powers and replaced Western military forces on their territory with Russian mercenaries, specifically the Wagner Group.

The AES has expressed strong opposition to Ukrainian support of rebels in the Sahel after comments by Ukrainian officials in August 2024 stating they had supported separatists that killed Malian soldiers.

The AES has called on the United Nations to take action against Ukraine and accused Ukraine of supporting terrorism in the Sahel. As a result, Mali and Niger have severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

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