Mali: General Assimi Goita gives official launch to Sahel Alliance force
Mali’s transitional president, the rotating head of the Sahel Alliance, General Assimi Goita, supervised on Saturday the official launch of the coalition’s 5,000-strong unified force, on the eve of the second summit of the alliance to be hosted in the Malian capital on Monday and Tuesday afternoon.
“The evolution of the modus operandi of terrorist groups necessitates the adoption of an approach based on strategic prognosis and constant readiness,” Goetta said in a speech on the occasion.
Presenting the Sahel Alliance flag to the commander of the Joint Force, General Dauda Traoré, marking the official start of the force’s work, Goita added that the threats facing the Sahel countries are no longer limited to the security aspect, but now include the economic, media and information dimensions, which calls for a comprehensive and integrated response.
He considered the launch of this force a milestone moment in the history of military co-operation between the three countries (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso)”.
He pointed out that this force is the fruit of a process that began with the Niamey Declaration issued on July 6, 2024, which established a strategic alliance based on the principle of defense solidarity.
Mali’s defense minister, General Sadio Camara, said the Sahel region is passing through a decisive historical juncture, stressing that issues of security, peace and sovereignty cannot be delegated to any external party.
“The unified force of the Sahel Alliance represents the culmination of a path of military co-ordination based on the authentic values of the peoples of the region, foremost of which is solidarity, fraternity and dignity,” General Sadio Camara said.
The official launch ceremony of this joint force was attended by the defense ministers of the three member states, a number of members of governments, chiefs of staff of the armies, commanders of the general staff, in addition to some ambassadors accredited to Mali and representatives of some organizations.
The head of Niger’s ruling military council, General Abdirahmane Tiani, announced during a visit to Bamako at the end of last September that the joint force of the Niamey-based alliance of Sahel countries is in the process of being operational.
In January 2025, the armies of the three countries carried out joint field operations, which enabled the killing of some of the leaders of armed groups.
According to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Sahel and West Africa region witnessed about 450 armed attacks in 2025, killing more than 1,900 people.
