Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, the three military-led West African nations, officially withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on the 29th January 2025.
A year prior, they had announced their departure from their long-standing regional group, citing the bloc’s inability to assist their efforts to combat terrorism, as well as its subservience to former colonial powers.
Furthermore, for a little more than a year, the AES has been on a campaign to eradicate any traces of Western influence in their country, including the abolition of military alliances with France, as well as renaming monuments with colonial monikers.
In place of Western friendship, members of the AES, have opted instead for Russian partnership, and according to the Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Partnership with Africa, Tatiana Dovgalenko, this partnership has resulted in the deployment of Russian military specialists and equipment to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“Russia, for its part, assists both in strengthening counter-terrorism capabilities and improving the combat effectiveness of national armed forces by sending military specialists and equipment, training military and law enforcement personnel, as well as in the social and economic development of the countries of the region,” the minister relayed to Russian media, Sputnik.
The director also expressed that the formation of the AES is a crucial step in combining the initiatives of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to guarantee their social and economic objectives as well as national security.
“Based on the ‘African problems, African solutions’ fundamental principle, we believe that this initiative fully meets the interests of the peoples of these states and will have a positive impact on the establishment of a new regional security architecture,” she added.
Dovgalenko mentioned that the AES has achieved significant success in countering insurgencies and restoring control over their territories.
She also noted that they are nearing the completion of building a military force of approximately 5,000 troops.
