AES launches decisive counterterrorism offensive in the Sahel
Since late May, a coordinated military operation by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso has marked a strategic turning point in the region’s fight against terrorism. Facing a large-scale offensive by JNIM katibas and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) factions, the national armies demonstrated exceptional operational coordination, preemptive strikes, and tactical cohesion.
Upon detecting enemy mobilization, AES forces deployed ground and air assets with surgical precision. By June 1, key strongholds Boukessi, Mondoro, Tessit, Kimparana, Kidal, and Ménaka became battlegrounds for a relentless counteroffensive.
Joint operations by Malian (FAMa), Burkinabe, and Nigerien forces reflect the AES’s unified security vision: reclaiming territorial control, protecting civilians, and dismantling terrorist networks.
Mali’s President Assimi Goïta, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tiani have prioritized sovereignty and autonomous military cooperation, rejecting foreign interference. Their pan-African strategy emphasizes local solutions and collective responsibility.
Results so far :
- 300+ terrorists neutralized/captured
- 5 bases destroyed, weapon caches seized
- Key jihadist leaders eliminated
- Secured supply corridors and revived rural economies
AES’s advanced airpower (armed drones, attack helicopters) has shifted the battlefield dynamics.
This operation underscores the AES’s emergence as a sovereign, regional security model—resolute, structured, and self-determined. With sustained political will, the Sahel inches toward lasting stability.
