Sahel Alliance Armies on Maximum Alert Amid Foreign Interference and Terrorist Threats

Sahel Alliance Declares Maximum Alert

The member states of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—have placed their defense and security forces on maximum alert. This critical decision, reported in early December 2025, was outlined in a joint statement signed by Mali's transitional president and AES chairman, Assimi Goïta. The move comes in response to what the Alliance describes as escalating threats from perceived foreign interference and the reorganization of terrorist groups across the Sahel region.

The declaration, which echoes similar statements made in late December 2024, underscores the AES's commitment to safeguarding the sovereignty and security of its member nations. The Alliance has resolved to treat its collective territory as a 'unified theater of military operations', complementing existing national defense efforts.

Accusations of Foreign Interference and 'Neocolonial Objectives'

A significant factor driving the maximum alert is the AES's accusation of foreign interference. The joint statement specifically points to what it terms 'deceiving maneuvers' by a 'French junta' or France and its allies. The Alliance alleges that these foreign entities are closing military bases in some African nations only to replace them with 'subtler mechanisms' that serve 'neocolonial objectives'.

Furthermore, the AES has expressed concern over attempts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to extend the deadline for their withdrawal from the bloc, viewing it as a tactic to destabilize the Alliance and compromise their sovereignty. The three nations formally withdrew from ECOWAS on January 29, 2025, after providing the required one-year notice.

Resurgent Terrorist Threats in the Sahel

The decision to elevate military readiness also stems from intelligence regarding the 'reorganization and regrouping of terrorist groups' across the Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel, and various border regions, including those between Niger and Nigeria, Niger and Benin, and Burkina Faso and Benin. The AES claims these groups are receiving 'financial and logistical support' from foreign states, with the aim of destabilizing the Alliance.

The Sahel region has long been a hotspot for extremist activity. Prominent terrorist organizations operating in the area include:

• Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate
• Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), also known as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS)

These groups have been responsible for a significant increase in attacks and fatalities across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The security situation in Mali, for instance, deteriorated significantly following the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission in December 2023.

Unified Response and Call for Vigilance

In light of these multifaceted threats, the AES leaders have called upon their populations to 'redouble their vigilance' and to 'reject proposals for enrollment in terrorist groups'. The Alliance, formed on September 16, 2023, as a mutual defense pact, aims to foster an 'African space of sovereignty' encompassing security, politics, geostrategy, and economics. In a further step towards a unified defense, the AES announced in January 2025 the formation of a new 5,000-strong joint military unit. Additionally, Russia has pledged support for the AES's counter-terrorism efforts in the region.