By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Three junta-led West African countries are planning a joint 5,000-strong unit of security forces to fight armed groups whose activities have for years plagued their nations, officials said on Tuesday.
Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali will create a “unified force” within weeks, Niger’s defence minister said.
Between 2020 and 2023, the military in the former French colonies forcefully took over power from civilian administrations in coups.
Following the coups, the three countries distanced themselves from France and formed a confederation, aiming to increase security and economic collaboration through the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
“In this common space, our forces will be able to intervene together,” Niger Defence Minister Salifou Mody said in a televised interview, adding that the 5,000-strong force was “nearly ready”.
“This unified force will not only have its own personnel but aerial, ground and intelligence means, and a coordination system,” he said, adding that it should be operational within weeks.
The three military-governed countries jointly span an area of about 2.8 million square kilometres, roughly four times the size of France.
Each of the three has been wracked by attacks from jihadists allied with either al-Qaeda or Islamic State (ISIS) for a decade, violence that governments have not been able to eradicate despite help from French and US forces.
“We are in the same place, we face the same type of threats, especially this threat of criminal groups. We have to join forces,” Mody said.
“This is new, original, and will provide security for our territories and for our people,” he said.
The three countries already carry out joint anti-jihadist operations, especially in the region where their borders meet.
They had at different times expelled French troops deployed to help fight the jihadists in their respective countries.
In response to the coups, they were expelled by the regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
They have turned to new partners, including Russia, which is seeking to expand its influence on the continent for economic and security assistance.
