The Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), established during the 6th July inaugural summit in Niamey, Niger, symbolizes everything Africa should be. Countries uniting under a single administrative and political structure, pursuing a shared future that breaks away from the “imperialist” order inherited from France, the United States, and the European Union. It represents an African renaissance unfolding before our eyes. The leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are dismantling the artificial borders separating their people, prioritizing collective interests as a precedent for advancing and securing the interests of their individual countries. AES formation is a recognition that unity under the confederation is the rock foundation upon which to resist and overcome the clutching tick of neocolonialism across military, economic, and foreign policy fronts.
Common Defense
Their pact on collective defense means that an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all. A joint defense force will not only effectively and permanently address the terrorist threats facing the three countries—threats that previous leaders, in collusion with their Western patrons, seemed to strategically perpetuate for various reasons—but will also defend against external states or organizations posing threats. “We will wage a relentless war against anyone who dares to attack our states,” warned Captain Traoré during the Niamey inaugural summit. In other words, there will be no repeat of a ‘Libya’ situation where a comrade leader is abandoned and left to the voracious devouring of imperial forces and their proxies, as has troubled many war-torn areas across Africa.
Common Economic Zone
Economically, AES is establishing “financial instruments” to support its economic and social development. These include an “investment bank” and a “stabilization fund for the Sahel.” The Confederation also plans for the “free movement of people and goods” and for an “endogenous economic and social policy based on local resources and partnerships that respect sovereignty.” This entails creating a common economic zone that will break down currency and trading barriers between member states, resulting in increased internal trade and more resilient economies.
One Foreign Policy
The confederation will also coordinate diplomatically, speaking “with one voice on the international stage.” This means adopting a common foreign policy that will enhance their collective bargaining power and influence in regional and global affairs based on their own terms. A unified foreign policy will enable member countries to advocate more effectively for their shared interests, negotiate trade agreements, and address regional challenges. It will also allow AES to respond more robustly to global issues and assert their sovereignty and priorities in a world dominated by larger, more powerful nations and alliances.
Unite or Perish!
In simple terms, AES is forming into a miniature replica of what the first President and Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, had in mind when, in his address at the founding of the OAU in Addis Ababa in 1963, he said:
“Unite we must. Without necessarily sacrificing our sovereignties, we can forge a political union based on defence, foreign affairs and diplomacy, and a common citizenship, an African currency, a monetary zone and a central bank. We must unite in order to achieve the full liberation of our continent. We need a common defence system with African high command to ensure the stability and security of Africa.”
Structurally, AES mirrors and embodies Nkrumah’s vision of a united Africa. It is a nascent version of the ideal Africa, an embodiment of the principles and goals that Kwame Nkrumah envisioned for the entire continent but on a smaller scale, involving as of now, just three countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Its formation provides a model and an example of what African can potentially be on a larger, continental level. So, why is it less talked about? Why is something this monumental and significant not being discussed widely from within and without Africa?
A “good” bad example
France, the US, and their EU satellites are fearful of the emergence of a politically united Africa in the mold of what AES is striving to achieve. The reasons are clear: such unity would reclaim Africans’ agency and primacy over the utilization of their resource wealth, material assets, and human capital, propelling the continent into becoming an uncontested global superpower. This would, of course, mean an end to the exploitation of African resources to sustain the luxurious lifestyles of Western populations while indigenous Africans remain in abject poverty.
It would mean that, instead of Niger uranium lighting the streets of Paris, it would light up homesteads in Niamey. It would mean that, instead of Congolese cobalt powering batteries and driving the electric vehicle (EV) revolution in Europe, it would fuel local industries in Kinshasa. It would mean an end to IMF and its slavish control of African economies. It would mean that, instead of Ghanaian cocoa sweetening European chocolates, it would be processed locally to add value and create jobs in Accra. It would mean that, instead of Nigerian oil fueling Western industries, it would drive energy independence in Lagos.
But this is not what the imperialists want to even consider. Because, as stated by President Traoré of Burkina Faso during his historic address at the 6th July summit in Niamey, to them (the imperialists), “Africa is the empire of slaves… For them, Africa belongs to them. Our lands belong to them. Our sub-soil belongs to them.”
To the imperialists, therefore, AES is a “good” bad example, whose potential emulation by the rest of Africa must be thwarted. How do they hope to achieve that? By resorting to the tactics employed individually or in combination, of an old playbook they have often used since African independence.
Thwarting Progressive African Countries
Targeted assassinations
Targeted eliminations of progressive African leaders who seek to reclaim their countries’ resources and sovereignty has always bene an option of resort for the imperialists. For example, they assassinated Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso in a coup d’état, having seen his radical social and economic reforms during his presidency from 1983 to 1987, including policies aimed at self-sufficiency and reducing dependency on foreign aid, as a threat to Western interests. In 1961, they also assassinated Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire) after its independence for trying to end Belgian influence and control over Congo’s vast mineral wealth, along with his anti-imperialist stance.
Media Blockade
The second potent tactic that imperialists use against progressive African countries is to suppress positive coverage while simultaneously concocting and amplifying negative coverage. The goal is often to prevent such a country’s ideals from spreading and being emulated by other African nations. Eritrea is a classic example. The country’s self-reliance policy, rejection of foreign aid, and insistence on equal rather than patronizing foreign relations have earned it the ire of the Western press. The Eritrean leader is demonized, and his country is characterized negatively in a manner unprecedented in recent African history over the last three decades, simply because of pursuing policies that extricate it from aid reliance.
The imperialists fear that other African countries might emulate Eritrea’s approach, which could undermine their weaponization of institutions like the World Bank and IMF to control and exploit African economies. They would rather we remain dependent, and any country that seeks to lead the way out of that dependency is subjected to a media blockade. This is already being done to AES. Notice how the monumental formation of the confederation received no coverage in the western press? Notice how the historic anti-imperial speech by President Traore of Burkina Faso during the inaugural summit has found little to no amplification and engagement outside West Africa? The speech, so iconic, would under normal circumstances, be played on loudspeakers across the continent and worldwide!
Dictatorial Characterization
Another imperial tactic used to thwart progressive African leaders is to label them as dictators to undermine their legitimacy and justify interventions and sanctions. For example, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, despite his initial acclaim for ending colonial rule, was increasingly depicted as a dictator due to his land reforms, which threatened white settler interests and Western economic influence. This portrayal led to international isolation and debilitating sanctions against Zimbabwe. A similar tactic is being applied to AES leaders, who are systematically referred to as “junta governments” despite the significant popular support they enjoy at home.
Terrorist Sponsorship
Supporting terrorist activities within the Sahel through proxies to create chaos and weaken AES unity is a particularly insidious form of interference that is already at play. France, the US, and their EU satellite states often resort to indirectly arming and supporting extremist groups to achieve geopolitical goals. This tactic is already evident in the Sahel, where terrorist attacks have increased following the rejection and evacuation of Western military installations from the AES countries.
