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The leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have signed a charter establishing an Alliance of Sahel States (AES) - the Liptako-Gourma Charter - to build a collective defense architecture and mutual collaboration aimed at benefiting the nations' peoples, Mali's interim President Assimi Goita said on Saturday, as reported by Sputnik. 

"I signed today with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with the objective of establishing an architecture of collective defense and assistance mutual for the benefit of our populations," he posted on X/Twitter.

J’ai signé ce jour avec les Chefs d’Etat du Burkina Faso et du Niger la Charte du Liptako-Gourma instituant l’Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) ayant pour objectif d’établir une architecture de défense collective et d’assistance mutuelle au bénéfice de nos populations. pic.twitter.com/IjT43NHrKs

— Colonel Assimi GOITA (@GoitaAssimi) September 16, 2023

The Liptako-Gourma region -- where the Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger borders meet -- has been ravaged by insurgencies in recent years.

"This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries", Mali's Defense Minister Abdoulaye Diop told journalists.

"Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries."

What does the pact stipulate? 

The charter signed on Saturday binds the signatories to assist one another -- including militarily -- in the event of an attack on any one of them.

"Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracting parties shall be considered as an aggression against the other parties and shall give rise to a duty of assistance... including the use of armed force to restore and ensure security," it states.

It also binds the three countries to work to prevent or settle armed rebellions.

Mali has, in addition to fighting insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, seen a resumption of hostilities by predominantly Tuareg armed groups over the past week.

Earlier today, it was reported that Goita recently held a high-level meeting behind closed doors that included Russia's Deputy Defense Minister, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, and the Defense Ministers of Niger and Mali, Salifou Modi and Sadio Camara, respectively.

The covert assembly took place in Mali's Ministry of Defense, while no specific details regarding the content of their discussions have been revealed.

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Prior to this, delegations from Burkina Faso and Mali, led by their respective foreign ministers, traveled to Niger. They met with General Abdourahmane Tchiani, the head of Niger's new leadership, expressing solidarity with his country and a commitment to supporting the transitional authorities in addressing the prevailing challenges.

The interim governments of Mali and Burkina Faso issued in July a joint statement warning that any military attack on Niger - whether by ECOWAS or other powers - in an attempt to restore ousted Western-backed President Mohamed Bazoum would constitute a declaration of war against their own countries.

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The two West African countries pointed out that the consequences of a military invasion would destabilize the entire Sahel region.

On this matter, the Cabinet of Burkina Faso approved earlier legislation authorizing the deployment of troops to Niger, citing alignment with the country's strategic commitments.

With the resolute support demonstrated by Ouagadougou and Bamako for the military personnel in Niger, Niamey has granted them authorization to intervene within its borders "in case of aggression."

Moreover, Russia has been for years backing African states in pursuit of breaking the shackles of imperialism, with Moscow publicly declaring its support to nations willing to challenge Western hegemony.