Burkina Faso: Prime Minister announces significant progress in establishing the AES Unified Force

Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Rimtalba Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo, announced Monday evening that the creation of the Unified Force of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is “progressing very well.”

Speaking on Burkina Faso’s national broadcaster, Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB), he emphasized that the initiative is part of the joint fight against terrorism. “The process is advancing very well toward building an operational force,” the Prime Minister stated during an exclusive interview.

He explained that the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have reaffirmed their commitment to forming a joint army capable of effectively addressing the region’s growing security threats. According to Ouédraogo, the creation of the force is first and foremost rooted in a shared defense objective, with the possibility of expanding cooperation to other sectors in the future.

As a reminder, from April 8 to 11 in Ouagadougou, military experts from the three AES member states met to discuss the practical arrangements for establishing this future regional force.