Libreville, September 18, 2023 (AGP) – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three Sahel states, have set up a defensive alliance. The text called “Liptako-Gourma charter”, which would have 17 points, was signed on Saturday September 16 by the three countries.
West Africa’s military coup regimes now have their own common military defense agreement. On Saturday, September 16, the ministerial delegations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced in Bamako the signing of a charter establishing a defensive alliance.
The aim of this charter is above all “to establish an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance. This includes in particular “ the use of armed force to restore and ensure security within the space covered by the Alliance”. A commitment by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to defend themselves which would directly refer to threats from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The rest of the charter would address future relations between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, committing these three countries not to attack each other. Article 11 also keeps a door open for the accession of “ any other State sharing the same geographical, political, socio-cultural realities”.
EN/DT/FSS
