Sahel Alliance Reviews Legal Framework for Unified Military Force

By Al Mayadeen English

12 Jul 2026 23:17

Defense ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger reviewed the legal framework for the Sahel Alliance's unified military force during talks in Ouagadougou.

Defense ministers from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, to discuss the legal framework governing the unified military force of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), in a move aimed at advancing plans for a joint army among the three countries.

The meeting brought together Burkina Faso's Minister of State for Defense and Veterans Affairs, Celestin Simpore, Niger's Minister of National Defense, Salifou Mody, and Mali's Minister Delegate for Defense, Omar Diarra.

The ministers reviewed a draft legal statute that will govern the operations of the confederation's unified force and establish the legal basis for its future military activities.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Simpore said Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were entering a new phase in structuring their military cooperation, saying that the proposed statute is the legal foundation for the unified force.

He said the framework would enable the force to conduct joint operations across the territory of the Confederation of Sahel States against armed groups.

Simpore said that the unified force is the foundation of the "real army" the three countries are working to build together, adding that efforts are underway to strengthen its personnel, equipment, and operational capabilities to improve the effectiveness of joint military operations.

He added that the force's capabilities would be expanded progressively with the goal of establishing a fully integrated, rapidly deployable joint army capable of operating anywhere within the confederation.

Military cooperation expands across the Sahel

The meeting comes days after Russia and the three Sahel states announced plans to deepen their military partnership amid an increase in attacks by armed groups across the region.

Military cooperation and counterterrorism remain central pillars of the Confederation of Sahel States, whose members continue to face attacks by armed groups operating across vast and porous border regions.

Officials said the legal framework is intended to define the rules governing troop deployments, operational jurisdiction, command structures, and coordination mechanisms, allowing the alliance to transform ad hoc joint operations into a more structured collective defense system.

The three countries aim to use the unified force to overcome the operational limitations imposed by national borders, enabling a coordinated response to armed groups that operate across frontier areas where security oversight remains limited.