The joint anti-jihadist force of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali conducted "intense air campaigns" on Malian territory after attacks carried out by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and Tuareg separatists, the Nigerien government announced Thursday evening.
Last weekend, jihadists and their Tuareg separatist allies launched the biggest offensive against Mali in nearly 15 years, seizing the strategic town of Kidal and killing Defense Minister Sadio Camara .
Mali, Burkina Faso , and Niger, neighboring African nations, together form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which has established a joint force against jihadist groups. This force initially comprises 5,000 troops, a number that was increased to 15,000 by mid-April.
Nigerien authorities praised "the rapid and vigorous response of the units of the unified force" , which conducted intensive air campaigns in the hours following "the cowardly attacks of April 25, 2026" in Gao, Ménaka and Kidal, according to a statement issued after a cabinet meeting.
Security crisis
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Malian Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front , had called on Burkina Faso and Niger "to stay out of the events taking place in Mali" , a few hours after the start of the attacks.
The three ESA countries are led by juntas that came to power following coups d'état between 2020 and 2023.
Attacks targeting the Malian military junta and its Russian paramilitary backers have plunged this former French colony into a serious security crisis. Burkina Faso's Defense Minister, Célestin Simporé, speaking on behalf of the AES (Armed Islamic Group), vowed at Sadio Camara's funeral on Thursday to "hunt down" the "assassins . "
Around a thousand people gathered on the same day in the Nigerien capital, Niamey, to express their "solidarity with the Malian people" , according to images broadcast live on social media.
Slogans
At the Djado Sékou Cultural Centre, the crowd chanted slogans such as "down with the imperialists" , "down with the terrorists and their supporters" and "long live the AES" , while a photo of Sadio Camara was displayed.
Effred Mouloul, representative of the coalition of civil society organizations behind this gathering, declared: "To the Malian people, we say: you are not alone. The vital forces of Niger and the AES are by your side and express their total solidarity."
He also accused African leaders of a "total lack of visible solidarity in the face of the targeted assassination" of Malian officials, calling for the withdrawal of the French presence on the territory of the AES.
Nigerien authorities have accused foreign powers, primarily France , of supporting the weekend attacks in Mali. Niger regularly accuses Paris of seeking to destabilize the country, an accusation France denies.
Finally, the Nigerien government cancelled May Day parades throughout the country for security reasons.
