Name: Sahel leaders forge unity amid security crisis at Bamako summit
Uploaded: 2025-12-24T07:35:40.443Z
Duration: 2 min 50 s
Description: The bloc aims to tackle security and economic challenges after breaking away from ECOWAS.

The bloc aims to tackle security and economic challenges after breaking away from ECOWAS.

Bamako

At a summit in Bamako, the leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso announced the formation of the Three Nations Sahel Alliance, a joint initiative to confront ongoing security threats and foster regional unity. The alliance includes a joint military force, a new television channel to counter Western narratives, and an investment bank funded by the member states.

The move comes amid strained relations with Western donors and a break from the regional bloc ECOWAS. The alliance aims to promote sovereignty, economic independence, and youth engagement, though questions remain over sustainable funding and the ability to deliver on promises of jobs and stability.

Sahel leaders forge unity amid security crisis at Bamako summit

On the road to the airport, Malian forces race out of Bamako, ahead perhaps another battle with al-Qaeda-linked fighters. Children cheer them on, but victory is uncertain. For months, people in the capital have lived under the threat of siege, al-Qaeda-linked fighters tightening their grip, trying to block fuel trucks and passenger buses. Petrol is scarce. Rumors are common. Some say authorities struck deals with the enemy they claim to fight, just to keep the city moving. For the junta, such a division would be a problem. It's looking to find unity. Its solution? The Three Nations Sahel Alliance. In a small square bearing its name, big ambitions are laid out. A microphone handed to children. The alliance leaders' names are drilled in. Abdulrahman Chiani of Niger, Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, and Assimi Goita of Mali. Repeated until they stick. Correct answers earn a prize, a T-shirt stamped with the leaders of the alliance. This is more than a ceremony or a PR stunt. It's an attempt to justify a break from the regional body ECOWAS and to sell a new alliance by fostering loyalty in the young. They've gathered together to become one country, to hold each other's hand and to combat a common enemy. The junta's leaders have already inaugurated a joint military force to fight armed groups. They're opening a new television channel to fight what they say is Western misinformation. And an investment bank with funding close to a billion dollars, pooled from their resources, not foreign loans. Now crowds have come out in numbers. Some of this is staged. But many people have come out out of curiosity to see whether these young leaders like Ibrahim Traore can deliver on what aging elected presidents in the region have failed, which is to provide a union that represents the interests of young people. Jobs, sovereignty and dignity. But how to pay for it? After Mali's relations with France collapsed, its finance minister says Western donors have pulled back. Our political vision no longer aligns with that of the institutions that govern us. At the World Bank, as at the IMF, the major countries hold most of the power. The new alliance advocates rewriting the rules to fit their country's vision. As night falls on Sahel Square, in a region at war, children linger, drawn by a familiar melody, a promise of peace and of a new union spoken in their name. Nicholas Haque, Al Jazeera, Bamako.

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