Africa News of Sunday, 21 December 2025Source: africanews.comAt an airforce base in Bamako, Mali's army ruler General Assimi Goita presided over a ceremony marking the creation of a unified force for the Sahel countries. The force is the latest in a series of measures by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to achieve closer integration. In January, Niger's defence minister said that the 5000-strong force would 'intervene together' to counter security threats in the region. The ceremony in Bamako was attended by the defence ministers of the Sahel Alliance member states, as well as ambassadors and representatives of international organizations accredited to Mali. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formed the Sahel alliance after withdrawing from ECOWAS, which the alliance accuses of being inhumane, imposing coup-related sanctions, and working against the interests of citizens in alliance countries.

Source: GhanaWeb December 21, 2025 22:32 UTC