Mali
The combined anti-jihadist forces of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have conducted significant “intense air campaigns” within Malian borders, responding to recent assaults by al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists and Tuareg separatist groups, as confirmed by the Nigerien government on Thursday evening.
These coordinated attacks, executed by jihadists and their Tuareg separatist partners over the weekend, marked the most extensive offensive against Mali in almost fifteen years. The operations resulted in the seizure of the crucial northern town of Kidal and tragically led to the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, neighboring African nations, form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This alliance established a unified force to combat jihadist organizations, initially comprising 5,000 personnel, a number that was subsequently expanded to 15,000 by mid-April.
Following a cabinet meeting on Thursday evening, Nigerien authorities expressed their approval for “the swift and robust reaction from the unified force’s units,” highlighting the “intense air campaigns” launched just hours after the “cowardly attacks” occurred on April 25, 2026, across Gao, Menaka, and Kidal.
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, a Malian Tuareg rebel faction, had previously urged both Burkina Faso and Niger “to remain uninvolved in the ongoing developments within Mali” shortly after the initial assaults commenced.
All three member states of the AES are currently governed by military juntas, each having seized power through coups d’état conducted between 2020 and 2023.
These recent aggressions targeting the Malian military junta and its Russian paramilitary supporters have severely intensified the security crisis gripping the former French colony.
During Camara’s funeral on Thursday, Burkina Faso’s Defence Minister, Celestin Simpore, speaking for the AES, solemnly pledged to “hunt down” those responsible for the “assassinations.”
regional solidarity and defiance
On the same day, approximately one thousand individuals converged in Niamey, the capital of Niger, to demonstrate “solidarity with the Malian people,” as observed in live social media broadcasts of the gathering.
At the Djado Sekou Cultural Center, attendees chanted slogans like “down with the imperialists,” “down with the terrorists and their sponsors,” and “long live the AES,” with a prominent image of Camara displayed above the crowd.
Effred Mouloul, representing the coalition of civil society organizations that organized the event, conveyed a message to the Malian populace: “To the Malian people, we declare: ‘You are not isolated; the engaged forces of Niger and the entire AES stand firmly beside you, extending their full and unwavering solidarity.'”
Mouloul criticized African leaders for what he termed a “total absence of visible solidarity” following the “targeted assassination” of Malian officials, simultaneously advocating for the complete withdrawal of French military presence from all AES territories.
Nigerien authorities have pointed fingers at external powers, notably France, alleging their sponsorship of the recent weekend assaults in Mali. Niger has consistently accused France of attempting to destabilize the nation, an accusation that Paris vehemently refutes.
Citing security concerns, the Nigerien government has announced the cancellation of all May 1 parades scheduled across the country.
