Sahel alliance launches joint air operations in Mali following militant attacks

The unified anti-jihadist command, comprising forces from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, executed “intensive aerial campaigns” across Malian territory. This coordinated response followed severe assaults by al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists and Tuareg separatist factions, as confirmed by the Nigerien government late Thursday.

Over the preceding weekend, a coalition of jihadist groups and their Tuareg separatist allies unleashed the most significant offensive against Mali in nearly fifteen years. These attacks culminated in the capture of the crucial northern town of Kidal and the tragic killing of Mali’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara.

The West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This regional bloc established a joint military force initially comprising 5,000 personnel, which was subsequently expanded to 15,000 by mid-April to combat jihadist threats.

In a statement issued Thursday evening after a cabinet meeting, Nigerien authorities “commended the swift and robust intervention by units of the unified force, which launched intense air operations in the hours following the reprehensible attacks of April 25, 2026, targeting Gao, Menaka, and Kidal.”

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Malian Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front, had earlier appealed to Burkina Faso and Niger “to refrain from interfering in the ongoing events in Mali” just hours after the initial attacks commenced.

All three member states of the AES are currently governed by military juntas, having experienced coups between 2020 and 2023.

These recent aggressions against the Malian military junta and its Russian paramilitary allies have plunged the former French colony into a severe and escalating security crisis.

During Minister Camara’s funeral on Thursday, Burkina Faso’s Defence Minister, Celestin Simpore, speaking on behalf of the AES, unequivocally vowed to “pursue” and apprehend the “assassins.”

united solidarity

On the same day, approximately a thousand individuals gathered in Niamey, the capital of Niger, to demonstrate “solidarity with the Malian people,” as broadcast in live footage across social media platforms.

At the Djado Sekou Cultural Center, crowds chanted slogans such as “down with the imperialists,” “down with the terrorists and their sponsors,” and “long live the AES,” with a prominent photograph of Minister Camara displayed overhead.

Effred Mouloul, representing the coalition of civil society groups that organized the event, conveyed a powerful message: “To the Malian people, we declare: ‘You are not alone; the active forces of Niger and the entire AES stand firmly by your side and extend their full and unwavering solidarity.'”

He criticized other African leaders for their “complete absence of visible solidarity in the face of the targeted assassination” of Malian leaders and additionally called for the complete withdrawal of any French presence from AES territories.

Nigerien authorities have openly accused external powers, primarily France, of supporting the weekend attacks in Mali. Niger has consistently alleged that France seeks to destabilize the region, an accusation that Paris vehemently denies.

In light of the security situation, the Nigerien government announced the cancellation of all May 1 parades nationwide.