Burkina Faso’s interim leader, who is part of a regional alliance of military-led countries that includes Mali and Niger, has announced “large-scale” joint operations against armed groups in the coming days.

Captain Ibrahim Traore’s comments came as the three countries, allied under the banner of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), held a joint summit that concluded on Tuesday, days after the launch of a joint military battalion aimed at fighting groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Newly installed as AES chief, Traore provided no further details on the actions planned by the three countries, which have all experienced coups in recent years and have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc to form the AES in 2024. The three pledged at this week’s summit to deepen their security and economic ties.

The military leaders of the three nations have kicked out longtime security partners France and the United States, turning instead to Russia as an ally in their bid to advance regional sovereignty, with this week’s launch of the 5,000-strong AES Unified Force (FU-AES) seen as a key milestone for the bloc.

General Omar Tchiani, leader of Niger’s military government, said at the summit that the AES had “put an end to all occupation forces in our countries”.

“No country or interest group will decide for our countries any more,” he said.

Burkina Faso’s Traore warned of looming destabilisation in West Africa, which he termed the “Black Winter” – a phase of external threats, violence, and economic pressure aimed at undermining Sahelian sovereignty. (Aljazeera)