Iran Press/ Africa: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have signed a mutual defense pact, as the three Sahel countries aim to help each other against possible threats of armed rebellion or external aggression, Aljazeera reported.
The charter, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, signed on Saturday, binds the signatories to assist one another – including militarily – in the event of an attack on any of them.
“Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties,” it says. It also binds the three countries to work to prevent or settle armed rebellions.
The Liptako-Gourma region – where the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger borders meet – has been ravaged by armed rebellion in recent years.
An armed rebellion erupted in northern Mali in 2012 and spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
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