Snip:

Burkina Faso’s interim president, Captain Ibrahim Traore has accused foreign powers of attempting to sabotage the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) by pressuring member countries to betray the others.

“We are approached every day by imperialists who want to force one of the three states to betray the others,” Traore said.

“We’ve been dealing with this for a long time. Each time, it’s a maneuver to convince a state to leave the Confederation. And this should make us think,” he added.

The AES was formally established in September 2023 by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as a mutual defense and cooperation pact following the expulsion of French troops from the respective members. The three military-led states have since withdrawn from the West African bloc ECOWAS, denouncing it as a tool for French neocolonial influence and a threat to their sovereignty.