SAHEL ALLIANCE - FIRST MEET

The alliance between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger goes from strength to strength.

Bamako and Ouagadougou this week played host to Niger’s leader, General Tchiani. His message was that the trio should now also extend cooperation beyond the security sphere.

Mali and Burkina played a key role in the consolidation of power by General Tchiani’s administration following the ouster of Western-backed Mohamed Bazoum. When Niger was threatened with invasion by regional bloc ECOWAS, the two countries warned it would result in a wider conflict, as they would regard it as an attack on them.

Security remains a challenge, which the alliance is working to address. But there has been notable progress, especially in Mali, which recently recaptured the town of Kidal from terrorists.