The Alliance of Sahel States is a mutual defense pact between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, formed in 2023. The pact was created after the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened to invade Niger to depose the government.
The long term goal of the Alliance is a confederation of states. This is historically significant because it marks the reversal of the trend in modern Africa towards separatism and Balkanisation.[1]
The three states have expelled French troops and strengthened ties with Russia.