The Alliance Of Sahel States: A Regional Crisis In Troubled West Africa

On 16 September 2023, the three West African junta-led countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger declared the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States, –  L’Alliance des États du Sahel (AES). On 28 January 2024, they took their pact one step higher when three national leaders simultaneously declared on their national television that they would be withdrawing their countries from the 15-member West African regional organization, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) effective immediately. This undoes the decades of regional integration work and affects the ongoing attempts as well, which have been disrupted by several coups. As…