AES: the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina from ECOWAS should benefit the Alliance of Sahel States. This structure was first created last September to fight against jihadist groups.
But this alliance is also intended to be economic and political. We can imagine a strengthening of economic cooperation, especially a diplomatic alliance to form a real bloc and act as a counterweight to the other ECOWas states, believes Julien Antouly, researcher in international law. The AES was originally created as a defense pact: Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso had decided to pool their military resources.