Overview
- The three governments announced a 5,000-strong AES Unified Force to coordinate cross-border operations against groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL.
- Newly appointed AES head Ibrahim Traoré said large-scale joint actions would begin within days, without providing operational details.
- Leaders used the Bamako summit to signal tighter security coordination and plans to broaden economic cooperation within the alliance.
- The bloc launched AES Television, which Mali’s Assimi Goita described as a tool to counter disinformation and hostile narratives.
- Member states reaffirmed the expulsion of French and U.S. forces and a pivot to Russian support, as analysts warn entrenched violence could limit gains and Goita claimed several militant bases were destroyed.