Imperialist powers, including former colonizer France, are seeking to “provoke chaos” within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Niger’s interim president, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, said on Tuesday, warning that no external actor will be allowed to dictate terms to the bloc.
Speaking at an AES summit in Bamako, Tchiani described the alliance as a sovereignty-driven project born from frustration with years of foreign military involvement and political pressure in the Sahel.
“Decisions concerning our peoples are taken in Ouagadougou, in Bamako, in Niamey… and nowhere else,” he said.
Tchiani argued that poverty and insecurity across the Sahel stem from unequal partnerships and external interference, stressing that “there is no progress without true independence.”
He said the AES has ended “predatory contracts and biased commitments” that undermined national interests.
Formed in September 2023 by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger following military coups, the AES emerged amid a long-running jihadist insurgency linked to Al-Qaeda and Isis.
The alliance became a confederation in July 2024, after which the three states withdrew from ECOWAS, accusing it of serving foreign interests.
AES leaders have repeatedly accused France of interference and blamed it for failed counterinsurgency efforts. They have also alleged Ukrainian support for militant groups, claims Kiev denies.
During the summit, the bloc launched the Confederal Investment and Development Bank, capitalized at 500 billion CFA francs ($820 million), and unveiled AES Television to counter what it calls hostile foreign media narratives.
Source: Al-Ahed News
