Liptako-Gourma Charter

September 21, 2023

The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger signed a mutual defence pact.
The Liptako-Gourma Charter establishes the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The charter binds the signatories to assist one another — including militarily — in the event of an attack on any one of them.
It also binds the three countries to work to prevent or settle armed rebellions.
Its aim is to “establish an architecture of collective defence and mutual assistance for the benefit of our populations”.
The Liptako-Gourma region — where the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger borders meet — has been ravaged by jihadism in recent years.
- All three countries have undergone coups since 2020.