“We can consider very clearly, today, that the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has been born.”

The European Union’s military training mission in Mali said Friday it had officially ended its 11-year presence in the jihadist-wracked country, after the bloc did not renew its mandate in early May.

“The authorities have demonstrated their notorious inability to provide the slightest hint of a solution.”

Hundreds of participants in a Malian national dialogue mainly boycotted by the opposition on Friday recommended that military rulers, who took power in 2020, keep power for several more years.

“We demand the release of more than 110 passengers of three buses abducted on Tuesday by jihadists.”

The African Union on Saturday urged Mali to provide a post-coup transition ‘roadmap’, saying the move was needed to steer the country back to democratic rule.

“Particularly the Sahel countries; in 2023 alone, over 3,500 terrorist attacks were recorded..”

Thirty-one people were killed in Mali on Tuesday and 10 others wounded when a bus travelling toward Burkina Faso fell off a bridge in the country’s southeast, the transport ministry said.

The junta-led Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have disclosed a plan to establish a confederation that will deepen their ties following their exit from the regional bloc

“They were removing the elected legally/ legitimate government via coup d’etat. So that is why they were suspended. So technically, I don’t know why people are worried about this.”