On December 23, 2025, in a ceremony laden with geopolitical symbolism, the three military leaders of the Sahel States Confederation (AES)—Mali’s General Assimi Goïta, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tiani—gathered in Bamako to inaugurate the confederation’s official television channel. This event, held on the sidelines of the AES’s second College of Heads of State, marks far more than the launch of a new broadcaster. It represents a deliberate and strategic escalation in the region’s ongoing struggle for narrative sovereignty, cultural cohesion, and political independence.
Official Inauguration of the Sahel States Confederation (AES) Television in Bamako
The presence of the three heads of state, alongside Mali’s Prime Minister, the President of the National Transition Council, and other high-ranking officials, underscores the project’s paramount importance to the AES leadership. The ceremonial ribbon-cutting and guided tour of the technical facilities were acts of public commitment, signaling that AES Television is a core institution, not a peripheral project.
### A Strategic Tool in a Contested Information Space
The stated mission of AES Television—to promote solidarity, sovereignty, resilience, and confederal policies—must be understood within the region’s fraught media landscape. For decades, international news agencies and former colonial powers have dominated the framing of Sahelian events, often emphasizing instability, terrorism, and foreign intervention. The AES states, having ruptured ties with traditional Western allies like France and the ECOWAS bloc, are now constructing a parallel architecture of governance. A unified media voice is a critical pillar of this architecture.
**Practical Implications:**
* **Counter-Narrative:** The channel will likely offer a systematic alternative to Western media coverage of the region’s security operations and political transitions, framing them as legitimate acts of national liberation and sovereignty.
* **Policy Amplification:** It will serve as a direct mouthpiece to explain and justify confederal initiatives—such as the planned AES common currency (the ‘Sahel’), joint security operations, and economic partnerships with new allies like Russia—directly to the populace, bypassing potential critical filters.
* **Cultural Integration:** By broadcasting content that highlights shared histories, languages (like Bambara, Fulfulde, and Hausa alongside French), and cultural values across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the channel aims to forge a tangible ‘AES identity’ that transcends colonial borders.
### The Broader Context: Media as a Geopolitical Instrument
This inauguration is a textbook case of ‘soft power’ in a multipolar world. As the AES pivots toward strategic partnerships with nations like Russia, Iran, and Turkey, controlling the narrative becomes essential to legitimizing these shifts domestically and internationally. The channel is not merely for internal consumption; its satellite and digital footprint will project the AES’s worldview to Africa and the global stage, contesting what its leaders often label as ‘neocolonial’ discourse.
**Key Challenges Ahead:**
1. **Credibility vs. Propaganda:** To be effective, AES Television must balance its role as a promoter of confederal policy with journalistic credibility. If perceived as mere state propaganda, its influence will be limited to core supporters.
2. **Technical Reach:** Overcoming logistical hurdles to ensure reliable broadcast signals across the vast, often infrastructure-poor territories of the three member states is a significant practical challenge.
3. **Competitive Environment:** It enters a crowded arena of digital media, international broadcasters, and vibrant local radio, requiring compelling content to capture and retain audience attention.
### Conclusion: More Than a Channel, a Statement
The launch of AES Television is a definitive step in the Confederation’s institutional consolidation. It moves the AES from a political and military alliance into the realm of daily cultural and informational experience for its citizens. By investing in this medium, the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are betting that the battle for the Sahel’s future will be won not only on the battlefield but also on the airwaves and screens, in the minds of their people. The channel’s success or failure will be a key indicator of the Confederation’s viability and its ability to articulate and sustain a truly independent path for the region.
*Presidency of the Republic of Mali*