The joint anti‑jihadist force of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali launched intensive air operations over Malian territory on Thursday, the Nigerien government said, in response to coordinated attacks by al‑Qaeda‑linked jihadists and Tuareg separatists.
Over the weekend the insurgents and their Tuareg allies carried out the most extensive assault on Mali in nearly 15 years, seizing the strategic northern town of Kidal and killing Defence Minister Sadio Camara. The attacks, which also struck Gao and Menaka on 25 April, prompted the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – the security pact linking Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – to deploy its joint force, now numbering 15,000 troops after an April expansion from the original 5,000.
In a statement released after a cabinet meeting, Niger’s authorities praised “the prompt and vigorous response of the units of the unified force,” noting that the air campaigns began within hours of the “cowardly attacks.” The spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, had earlier urged Burkina Faso and Niger to stay out of Mali’s internal conflict, but the joint force proceeded with the strikes despite the plea.
All three AES governments are currently led by military juntas that seized power between 2020 and 2023. The recent assaults have deepened a security crisis in the former French colony, where the junta relies on Russian paramilitary support. Burkina Faso Defence Minister Celestin Simpore, speaking on behalf of the AES at Camara’s state funeral, vowed to hunt down the “assassins.”
In Niamey, roughly a thousand participants gathered at the Djado Sekou Cultural Center to express solidarity with the Malian people. Demonstrators chanted anti‑imperialist slogans, condemned the terrorists and their sponsors, and displayed Camara’s photograph. Effred Mouloul, representing a coalition of civil‑society groups, affirmed that “the active forces of Niger and of the AES stand by your side and express their full and complete solidarity.” He also criticized African leaders for a perceived lack of visible support and called for the withdrawal of French forces from AES territory.
Niger has repeatedly accused foreign actors, particularly France, of backing the weekend attacks and of attempting to destabilise the region – allegations that Paris denies. In response to the heightened threat, the Nigerien government cancelled public parades scheduled for 1 May.
The coordinated military response and the public displays of solidarity underscore the AES’s commitment to a joint security strategy amid escalating jihadist and separatist violence in the Sahel. Continued monitoring will be needed to assess the effectiveness of the air campaigns and the broader impact on regional stability.
