On December 20, 2025, a pivotal moment in West African security architecture unfolded in Mali. The President of the Transition and head of the nascent Confederation of Sahel States (AES), His Excellency General Assimi GOÏTA, presided over the solemn ceremony to present the Standard to the AES Unified Force (FU-AES). This act was far more than a formal military ritual; it was the official, symbolic activation of a strategic multinational force, marking a decisive shift from planning to operational reality for the alliance of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
The high-level attendance underscored the event’s profound political and strategic weight. Present were the Prime Minister of Mali, the Presidents of the Republic’s Institutions, the Defense Ministers of all AES member states, the nations’ military Chiefs of Staff, and a diplomatic corps including ambassadors and defense attachés. This convergence of military and political leadership signaled a unified front and a collective commitment to the FU-AES’s mission.
In his address, President GOÏTA framed the ceremony as historic, defining the presentation of the standard as the official marker for the force’s operational launch. He paid tribute to the courage and professionalism of the region’s defense forces, but his speech delved deeper into the strategic rationale behind the FU-AES. He rooted its creation in a proven track record of joint military action, referencing major operations like *Yéréko I* and *Yéréko II* conducted since the foundational Niamey Declaration of July 6, 2024. These operations, which neutralized terrorist leaders and destroyed sanctuaries, demonstrated the effectiveness of **rigorous joint planning, shared intelligence, and pooled logistical resources**—principles now institutionalized within the Unified Force.
President GOÏTA presented a clear-eyed analysis of the threat landscape, insisting on the need for “permanent strategic anticipation” to counter the evolving tactics of terrorist groups. He expanded the concept of security beyond the battlefield, highlighting the **multifaceted threats** facing the Sahel: not only terrorist violence but also economic warfare and pervasive disinformation campaigns. In response, he outlined the AES’s holistic strategy, which pairs military innovation with initiatives to bolster information sovereignty, such as the creation of AES Television, Radio, and press organs. His declaration that “the AES is an irreversible reality” was a powerful statement of political will, aimed at both domestic populations and the international community.
Mali’s Minister of Defense, Army Corps General Sadio CAMARA, framed the moment as decisive for the Sahel. He asserted that peace and sovereignty “are not delegated,” directly contextualizing the FU-AES as a rejection of external security dependence. He described the force as the culmination of a strategic pooling based on indigenous **Sahelian values of solidarity, mutual aid, and dignity**. The standard itself was imbued with deep meaning—characterized not as a simple flag but as a “living symbol” born from the sacrifice of martyrs, carrying the memory of the fallen and an irreversible commitment to the alliance’s future.
The operational success of this ambitious project now rests on the leadership of the newly installed FU-AES commander, Brigadier General Daouda TRAORÉ, described as an experienced field officer. His challenge is monumental: to forge a cohesive, agile command structure from three national armies and lead it in one of the world’s most demanding combat environments. The activation of the FU-AES represents a bold experiment in regional collective security, seeking to translate shared threats, cultural affinity, and political solidarity into a sustainable, effective military instrument for the defense of Sahelian sovereignty.