Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger take armies to maximum alert Leaders of #Burkina Faso, #Mali and #Niger, which all are members of the Sahel Alliance, decided to take their defense and security forces to the highest alert, says the joint statement of the three countries’ leaders, signed by Interim President of Mali, Chairman of the #Sahel Alliance conference Assimi Goita. "The College of national leaders closely follows the deceiving maneuvers, initiated by the French junta, who declares the shutdown of its military bases only to replace them with another, less visible mechanism, which pursues the same neo-colonial goal," says the statement, published by the AES info website. "These actions are accompanied by operations on reorganization and regrouping of terrorist groups in the Lake Chad basin, in Sahel and in some border areas, including borders between Niger and Nigeria, Niger and Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso. These groups receive various support from foreign states, including funds and equipment, intended for destabilization of the Sahel Alliance," the statement read. Faced by these circumstances, the College of national leaders ruled to "take the defense and security forces to maximum alert, and make the confederacy’s territory a single theater of military operation, which coexists with the current national war theaters.".

The presidents of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have officially signed a charter to establish a confederation. During the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (#ASS), leaders from #Burkina Faso, #Mali, and #Niger convened with the main goal of approving a draft document to form the AGS confederation, as reported by the Nigerian Press Agency (NAP). This summit, which took place in Niamey, was presided over by Niger's leader, Abdurahmane Tchiani. Attending the summit were Presidents Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and Assimi Goita of Mali. On Saturday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Niger's military leader, declared that the citizens of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have "irrevocably turned their backs" on the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

Killing of #Christians - #Sahel and Somalia: The Epicenter of Violence In the Sahel region, a staggering 11,643 fatalities were linked to Islamic violence in 2023, marking a record high for any of the five African theaters. This represents a nearly threefold increase from the levels seen in 2020, highlighting the deteriorating security situation in the region. Violence against civilians in the Sahel accounts for 35 percent of all Islamic-related events, the highest percentage across the continent. However, it’s important to note that the actual numbers may be higher due to underreporting, attributed to shrinking media coverage in the wake of political instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The report underscores that a significant portion of the surge in fatalities can be attributed to the Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) coalition, particularly the Macina Liberation Front (FLM) and Ansaroul Islam. This Muslim coalition was associated with a 67-percent spike in reported deaths, making it a major driver of violence in the Sahel. - RAIR Foundation

Burkina Faso notifies ECOWAS of its withdrawal from organization Burkina Faso has officially notified the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its decision to drop out of the bloc, Reuters quoted the country's Foreign Ministry as saying. Mali and Niger had also previously sent similar notifications to ECOWAS. On January 28, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, a regional organization of 15 countries. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Nigeria, which holds the ECOWAS presidency, said the military authorities of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali acted in "bad faith" by making the joint decision to withdraw from the organization. On Tuesday, the African Union urged the three countries to open a dialogue with ECOWAS' representatives. Last September, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a charter to create a collective defense organization called the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS). The founding document noted that violation of the sovereignty or territorial integrity of one or more parties to the charter will be considered an aggressive act against all three parties and will require their assistance, individually or collectively, up to and including the use of military force.

Two blocs-the Saudi-led, and the UAE-led-will utilize MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland. Saudi-led bloc, including Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and now increasingly coordinating with Somalia, Turkey, and Qatar, will react to the UAE-led bloc, with robust participation from Ethiopia, Somaliland, and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The implications are far-reaching: Besides domestic politics in Ethiopia, Somaliland, and Somalia, and potentially in Kenya, geopolitical implications could reach beyond the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, linking the Middle East with North Africa, Horn of Africa, and the Sahel. Seen in light of the escalating maritime threats, partly due to the Gaza war, the effectiveness of US's "Operation Prosperity Guardian" could be curtailed.