The action plan for security established by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, members of the Alliance of the Sahel States, shows that Africans "emerge victorious" when they tackle their own problems with a concentrated and strategic vision, Burkinabe analyst Lianhoué Imhotep Bayala, told Sputnik Africa.
"It is an effective response to external destabilization efforts and a deterrent against the local servants of colonialism. This goes with a harmonization of intelligence that prevents terrorists from moving with impunity in Burkina when they attack Niger or from repositioning themselves in Niger when they attack Mali," the expert said.
Chad would benefit from getting closer with the AES in terms of defense, while the French military presence has been "ineffective," and regional bloc ECOWAS has also proven to be "ineffective" in the fight against terrorism.
"The security of this area depends on Chad's entry into the AES, even if only through the defense alliance, without necessarily belonging to the Confederation. Chad could truly benefit from their expertise," he argued.
According to the local media, the benefits of AES's preemptive actions were already evident. The number of effective operations against terrorist organizations in the Sahel has significantly increased in recent months.
However, the member nations at a meeting in Bamako reportedly emphasized that much work still has to be done and that there is still a long way to go. In order to accomplish the required outcomes, it is imperative to promote collaboration with all regional states, the delegates declared.
Earlier, when asked how to beat Boko Haram* in an interview with Sputnik Africa, Youssouf Adam Abdallah, the Chadian specialist in international security, defense, and African cooperation, stated that joining the AES "would be one of the best alternatives to address the eternal security concern" for Chad.
* a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries