From April 13 to 17, Bamako hosted the first meeting of the Air Force Chiefs of Staff from the member states of the Sahel States Alliance (SSA), which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The alliance was established on September 16, 2023. The meeting was held under the theme: «Towards an Integrated Defense and Enhanced Sovereignty», according to the Malian army. «In the face of persistent security threats in the Sahel region, the states aim to pool their resources, harmonize their strategies, and build a more responsive and sovereign joint defense». The three Sahel countries intend to lay the groundwork for the operational integration of their air forces, promote the sharing of strategic information, develop joint territorial surveillance capabilities, and prepare coordinated operations against armed terrorist groups. This meeting follows an incident two weeks earlier, in which the Algerian army shot down a Malian drone in the Tin-Zaouatine region. The SSA's College of Heads of State denounced the destruction of the aircraft as «an act of aggression against all member states and a devious maneuver to promote terrorism and contribute to regional destabilization». In the wake of this incident, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have stepped up their military cooperation. On April 15, the army chiefs of the three countries met in Ouagadougou to finalize the framework of a common defense strategy, described as a key pillar of their shared sovereignty.
