The combined anti-jihadist contingent, comprising forces from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, executed “intense air campaigns” within Malian territory. This decisive action followed recent aggression by Al-Qaeda-aligned extremists and Tuareg separatist factions, as announced by the Nigerien government late Thursday.
Over the preceding weekend, jihadist groups, supported by their Tuareg separatist allies, initiated the most significant assault on Mali in nearly a decade and a half. This offensive led to the capture of the crucial northern town of Kidal and tragically resulted in the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara.
The West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger constitute the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This alliance established a combined task force initially numbering 5,000 personnel, which was subsequently augmented to 15,000 by mid-April.
Following a cabinet meeting on Thursday evening, Nigerien authorities expressed their approval for “the swift and decisive response from the unified force’s units.” They noted that these units “conducted intensive air operations in the immediate aftermath of the cowardly assaults on April 25, 2026, across Gao, Menaka, and Kidal.”
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front, a Malian Tuareg rebel group, had earlier appealed to Burkina Faso and Niger “to refrain from intervening in the unfolding events in Mali,” shortly after the attacks commenced.
All three member states of the AES are currently governed by military juntas, which seized power through coups between 2020 and 2023.
The recent attacks targeting the Malian military junta and its Russian paramilitary supporters have plunged the former French colony into a severe security predicament.
At Camara’s funeral on Thursday, Burkina Faso’s Defence Minister Celestin Simpore, speaking on behalf of the AES, solemnly pledged to “pursue and eliminate” the perpetrators.
‘Solidarity’
On the same day, approximately a thousand individuals convened in Niamey, the capital of Niger, to demonstrate “solidarity with the Malian populace,” as broadcast live on social media platforms.
Attendees at the Djado Sekou Cultural Center vociferously chanted slogans such as “down with the imperialists,” “down with the terrorists and their benefactors,” and “long live the AES,” while a portrait of Camara was prominently displayed overhead.
Effred Mouloul, a representative from the coalition of civil society organizations orchestrating the event, conveyed: “To the Malian people, we declare: ‘You are not isolated; the active forces of Niger and the AES stand in solidarity with you and extend their full and unwavering support.'”
He criticized African leaders for a “conspicuous absence of solidarity in the face of the targeted assassination” of Malian leaders and advocated for the removal of French military presence from AES territories.
Nigerien authorities have accused external powers, particularly France, of sponsoring the weekend attacks in Mali. Niger has repeatedly asserted that France aims to destabilize it, an allegation Paris refutes.
For security considerations, the government of Niger cancelled all May 1st parades across the nation.
