This article was first published on September 16 by Liberation News under the headline: “‘One space, one people, one destiny:’ Two years of the Alliance of Sahel States.”
Today marks the second anniversary of the founding of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The AES was formed in September 2023 as a direct response to the increasing military threat of intervention in Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following the popularly supported military coup. The U.S. and Western countries attempt to weaponize economic tools to subjugate the Sahel for daring to assert political autonomy, yet many Western media outlets cannot deny the popular support of the AES countries around the world. This bold confrontation with imperialism and its neocolonial puppets like ECOWAS and the African Union – which imposed sanctions and suspended membership of the three countries – demonstrate the necessity of deep international solidarity for the AES.
AES: An anti-colonial and anti-imperialist formation
The roots of the AES were formed out of military coups that sought sovereignty as a rallying cry from the mass mobilizations taking place against French presence in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Therefore it is critical to distinguish the character of these military coups from historic coups in the region. First, the class origins and ideological orientation of the coup leaders; second, the popular mass participation by the people, movements, and organizations; and third, their national programs grounded in a Pan-African and an anti-imperialist path.
Each instance of reconstructing a path towards political, economic, and military sovereignty arose out of the desires and aspirations of the population within each respective country. Popular organizations and movements have been active participants in reinforcing the contours of the governments’ national agendas and reconstruction towards an independent, sovereign Sahel. Mass mobilizations and sustained unrest over French economic subjugation — via the CFA franc, explosion of terrorism in the region (primarily fueled by NATO’s overthrow of Libyan government in 2011) with complicity of French military forces and state incapacity from puppet governments — culminated into popularly supported coups.
The confederation of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have made significant strides to reject French (and Western) political and military influence in the region. The AES withdrew from ECOWAS and were primarily responsible for the dissolution of the G5 Sahel – a coalition of West African states formed under the pretext of tackling Islamic insurgencies. Between 2020 and 2024, all three countries had severed military ties with France as a heavy blow to French colonial domination of the region. In 2023, the regional bloc initiated economic, technological and political partnerships with countries like Russia during the Second Russia-Africa summit. Additionally, the AES explored mutually beneficial cooperation with China through infrastructure investment and resource-sharing projects.
Determined, resilient, and united
Within two years since forming this new alliance, the countries have taken concrete steps not only to expel troops, but to establish a joint 5,000-strong military force to coordinate the fight against terrorism. Economically, the AES have announced plans to officially exit the CFA franc system and establish a Confederal Bank for Investment and Development to finance their own infrastructure and industrialization. Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso, scrapped visa fees to facilitate the movement of people and goods into the country this past Friday.
In addition to the concrete measures taken on the military and economic front, the AES has undergone a profound act of decolonization on the cultural front. The newly unveiled flag from the AES demonstrates the growing regional autonomy for the Sahel. The most powerful emblem donning the map are the three countries without their internal borders — effectively rejecting the colonial and artificially drawn borders originating from the 1884 Berlin Conference — and demonstrating regional unity over the colonial logic of “divide and rule.”
The peoples of the Sahel recognize the AES as a critical juncture in the fight against imperialism. Most importantly, the declaration of sovereignty is part of the revolutionary tradition for the peoples of the Sahel to unite in the struggle for the total liberation of Africa under the banner of Pan-Africanism that is anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and rooted in a socialist construction of society.
Pan Africanism Today Secretariat, coordinating over 70 movements and organizations across Africa, calls on all progressive organizations throughout the continent and the world to:
- Publicly express solidarity with the AES
- Mobilize for Coordinated Solidarity actions on 16 September 2025
- Host political education events such as teach-ins and forums
- Promote artistic and cultural expressions of resistance
- Create moments of agitation and disruption
- To integrate solidarity with the AES into existing actions
Forward to a liberated and united Africa!
Feature image: Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goïta, Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tiani, Burkina Faso’s Capt Ibrahim Traoré at the first summit of the AES in Niamey, Niger. Credit: Présidence du Faso Facebook