Assimi Goita, the interim president of Mali, told Sputnik on Saturday that the leaders of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali had signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter, creating the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), to create a system of shared defense and cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the member states.
“I signed today the Liptako-Gourma Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger with the objective of establishing an architecture of collective defense and assistance mutual for the benefit of our populations,” he wrote on X/Twitter.
The Liptako-Gourma region, where the frontiers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger converge, has recently been devastated by insurgencies.
According to Mali’s Defense Minister Abdoulaye Diop, “This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries.”
“Our top priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries.”
What is the agreement’s clause?
In accordance with the charter ratified on Saturday, the signatories are obligated to support one another, including militarily, in the event that one of them is attacked.
It specifies that any violation of one or more contracting parties’ territorial integrity or sovereignty “shall be deemed an aggression against the other parties and shall give rise to a duty of assistance… including the use of armed force to restore and ensure security.”
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