Sahel states launch coordinated air strikes in response to Mali attacks
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — executed joint airstrikes across northern Mali in the wake of coordinated assaults by al-Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists, as announced by Niger’s government late last week.
On April 25, 2026, jihadist forces and their Tuareg allies launched their most significant offensive in Mali in over a decade, seizing the strategically vital city of Kidal and assassinating the country’s Defence Minister, Sadio Camara.
The AES, formed to counter regional terrorism, operates a unified military force that recently expanded from 5,000 to 15,000 personnel. In response to the escalating violence, the alliance’s air units conducted rapid and intensive aerial campaigns across Gao, Menaka, and Kidal within hours of the attacks.
Regional solidarity and accusations
A Nigerien government statement praised the “swift and robust response” of the AES joint force, emphasizing that military operations were initiated immediately following the “cowardly assaults”. Meanwhile, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesperson for the Malian Tuareg rebel group Mouvement pour la libération de l’Azawad, urged Burkina Faso and Niger to refrain from intervening in Mali’s internal conflict.
The three nations, now governed by military juntas that seized power between 2020 and 2023, face heightened instability as their former colonial power, France, remains a focal point of regional tensions. The attacks have exacerbated a deepening security crisis in Mali, which relies on Russian paramilitary support to counter extremist threats.
At Camara’s funeral in Mali, Burkina Faso’s Defence Minister, Celestin Simpore, speaking on behalf of the AES, vowed to “pursue and eliminate” the perpetrators of the violence.
Public demonstrations and geopolitical tensions
In a show of regional unity, approximately 1,000 people gathered in Niamey, Niger, to express solidarity with Mali. Protesters at the Djado Sekou Cultural Center chanted slogans denouncing “imperialists,” “terrorists and their backers,” and celebrating the AES. A large portrait of the slain minister, Camara, was prominently displayed during the event.
Effred Mouloul, a spokesperson for the organizing coalition of civil society groups, declared, “To the people of Mali, know this: you are not alone. The active forces of Niger and the AES stand with you in full solidarity.” He also criticized African leaders for failing to respond adequately to the targeted killings and demanded the expulsion of French military presence from AES territory.
Niger has repeatedly accused France of orchestrating the attacks in Mali to destabilize the region, a claim denied by Paris. In light of the ongoing security threats, the Nigerien government canceled all May 1st parade events nationwide.
