(Ecofin Agency) - Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, now collectively known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), are planning to create a joint military force to tackle the terrorism crisis they are all facing.

The three countries have made their decision public following a meeting of their military chiefs of staff on Wednesday, March 6, in Niamey. Niger's Chief of Staff, General Moussa Salaou Barmou, emphasized the need for cooperation in the current sociopolitical context, marked by the member states' quest for sovereignty.

"We must cooperate to meet security challenges," he stated. He described the meeting as a "platform to review expert proposals and recommendations from the respective countries, aiming to outline a force structure to secure the territory of the Sahel States Alliance."

This initiative follows recent terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso on February 24, which resulted in at least 170 casualties across three villages in the northern part of the country. The need for enhanced regional cooperation to counter these threats was underscored by the leaders of the three countries during the establishment of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023. Since November, heads of state and their finance and foreign affairs ministers have held two major summits to operationalize this sub-regional alliance. Eighteen recommendations were adopted aiming to lay the groundwork for an intensified integration of the AES.

Two months later, Niger and Burkina Faso announced their withdrawal from all bodies and organs of the G5 Sahel, including the joint force, following Mali's similar decision in May 2022.

It should be noted that the Liptako-Gourma region, commonly known as the tri-border area, has been the site of terrorist attacks in recent years. This has led to an increase in military and economic cooperation between the three countries affected and Russia, as well as other Eastern nations, following the termination of several economic and military agreements with their historical partner, France