| The Confederation of Sahel States | |
| Native Name: | Confédération des États du Sahel |
| Org Type: | Confederation |
| Membership Type: | Parter States |
| Largest City: | Bamako, Mali |
| Languages Type: | Lingua franca |
| Languages: | French |
| Demonym: | Sahélien |
| Leader Title1: | President |
| Leader Name1: | Assimi Goita |
| Established: | 6 July 2024 |
| Area Km2: | 2,781,392 [1] |
| Area Rank: | 8th |
| Percent Water: | 0.74 |
| Population Estimate: | 71,375,590 |
| Population Estimate Year: | 2024 |
| Population Estimate Rank: | 20th |
| Population Density Km2: | 25.7 |
| Gdp Ppp: | Int$179.357 billion[2] |
| Gdp Ppp Year: | 2024 |
| Gdp Ppp Rank: | 81st |
| Gdp Ppp Per Capita: | Int$2,513 |
| Gdp Nominal: | US$62.380 billion |
| Gdp Nominal Year: | 2024 |
| Gdp Nominal Rank: | 88th |
| Gdp Nominal Per Capita: | US$874 |
| Hdi: | 0.413 |
| Hdi Year: | 2022 |
| Currency: | West African CFA franc / Sahel (proposed) |
| Time Zone: | GMTWAT |
| Utc Offset: | +0+1 |
| Drives On: | right |
The Confederation of Sahel States (CES/CSS[3]), also known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), is a confederation[4] formed between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. It originated as a mutual defense pact[5] created on 16 September 2023 following the 2023 Nigerien crisis, in which the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily to restore civilian rule after a coup in Niger earlier that year.[6] [7] [8] All three member states are former members of ECOWAS and currently under the control of juntas following a string of successful coups, the 2021 Malian coup d'état, the September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état, and the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état.[9] [10] [11] The confederation was established on 6 July 2024; it is against neocolonialism, anti-French and anti-ECOWAS in outlook.[12] [13]
Within the territory of the CES, there are various terrorist and insurgent groups including the ISGS, the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and various separatist groups fighting in Northern Mali. The war against these groups has been assisted by both French and United States troops, with further assistance from UN peacekeeping forces. In 2024, the AES cut off military relations with Western powers and replaced Western military forces on their territory with Russian mercenaries, specifically the Wagner Group.[14]
The confederation's stated goal is to pool resources to build energy and communications infrastructure, establish a common market, implement a monetary union under proposed currency the Sahel, allow free movement of persons, enable industrialization, and invest in agriculture, mines and energy sectors, with the end goal of federalizing into a single sovereign state.[15]
The Sahel has been the site of an ongoing jihadist insurgency since 2003, which has led to many conflicts in the region, such as the Mali War and the Boko Haram insurgency. All three member states have had their pro-Western civilian governments overthrown by their militaries, and each is ruled by a junta as part of the Coup Belt.[16] In 2022, Mali withdrew from the internationally backed G5 Sahel alliance. Niger and Burkina Faso did so in 2023, leading to announcement of the dissolution of the framework by its last two members Chad and Mauritania three days later.[17]
In the 2020 Malian coup d'état, Assimi Goïta and the National Committee for the Salvation of the People seized power in Mali after overthrowing the elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.[18] Goïta later led a second coup in 2021 which deposed the interim president Bah Ndaw, who had been nominated to lead a transitional military government.[19]
Just months later, in the 2021 Guinean coup d'état the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development removed the elected Alpha Condé and installed Mamady Doumbouya as transitional president.[20]
A faction of Burkina Faso's military overthrew their existing military government in the September 2022 coup d'état, installing Ibrahim Traoré over Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who came to power in the January 2022 coup d'état which toppled the democratic government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.[21]
Most recently, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland removed the elected government of Niger's Mohamed Bazoum, installing Abdourahamane Tchiani and a new junta in the 2023 coup d'état.[22]
All three of the alliance's member states are suspended members of ECOWAS; after the coup in Niger, ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily and restore President Bazoum's government, which resulted in the Nigerien crisis. The Nigerien government has the backing of Mali and Burkina Faso, which promised military aid to Niger in the event of an intervention, and Guinea, which has been offering diplomatic support. The promises of military aid resulted in the creation of AES as a mutual defense bloc for the three nations in an attempt to stave off an ECOWAS intervention.[23] On 28 January 2024, the three countries announced via a joint statement that they were withdrawing from ECOWAS.[24]
In May 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger finalized in Niamey a draft text creating the AES, its objective is to finalize the project relating to the institutionalization and to the operationalization of AES.[25]
On 6 July 2024, the military leaders at a summit in Niamey, Niger, signed a confederation treaty to strengthen the existing mutual defense pact. The signing marked the conclusion of the first joint summit of the alliance.[26] Two significant outcomes of the summit were:
1. The naming of Colonel Assimi Goita, head of state of Mali, as president of the new confederation, for a period of one year.
2. The 25 point AES communique of Saturday, July 6th 2024. [27]
| Official language | Population(thousands) | Area(km2) | GDP(US$ bn) | GDP (PPP)(Int$ bn) | TFR | HDI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row |  Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | Various | 23,042 | 66.910 | 4.5 | 0.438 | ||
| scope=row |  Mali | Bamako | Various | 21,990 | 65.413 | 5.7 | 0.410 | ||
| scope=row |  Niger | Niamey | French | 26,342 | 47.024 | 6.6 | 0.394 | ||
| [28] 71,374 | 5.6 | 0.413 | |||||||
The AES/CSS countries are very resource Rich. For example, Niger is among the world's biggest uranium exporters and for many years has been a major uranium exporter to the EU.[29] It was recently working to begin oil exports to China through Benin, until the efforts were frustrated. [30] [31]
Some major known resources in AES territory include:
| Country | Natural Resources | Other Resources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niger | uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum | ||
| Burkina Faso | gold, manganese, zinc, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt | cotton | |
| Mali | gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropowerNote: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited |
The AES has been taking actions to diminish the influence and control of France over its resources, territory, diplomatic relations, and trade. It has been seeking new partnerships and deals to fill the vacuum left by France's exit.
Some AES partners include:
| Date | Country | Announcement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/4/23 | Russia | Niger announced strengthening of military cooperation with Russia.[32] | |
| 7/17/24 | Turkey | Turkey foreign, defense, and energy ministers met with their counterparts in Niger to discuss new deals in the areas of security and defense, trade, anergy, and mining. [33] | |
| 7/23/24 | Togo | The AES and Togo are working to establish an interconnected customs area. This will also allow the landlocked AES countries to use Togo's Lome port without large tariffs. Use of ports has been a source of tension between the AES and the coastal countries in ECOWAS.[34] |