This edition begins with the mutual defence pact signed by the trio of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, called the Liptako-Gourma agreement.
Mali and Burkina Faso, have pledged to deploy troops in defence of Niger, in the event of an invasion.
Recall all three countries have undergone coups since 2020, most recently Niger, where soldiers in July overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily in Niger over the coup.
The charter binds the signatories to assist one another — including militarily — in the event of an attack on any one of them.
The decision by coup leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to ditch the France-supported G5 Sahel group could mean its end, some experts have warned.
The three states are former colonies of France and are all ruled by military juntas following coups — the most recent of which took place in Niger, where soldiers in July ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Now, here is the catch, different schools of thought have opined that the new Sahel alliance could mark the end of the French-inspired group, The G5. There are questions in the event of an ECOWAS invasion, how will Mali and Burkina Faso defend themselves when the Jihadists, CMA, ISIS and the rest come attacking?
