On Military Coup: Liptako-Gourma Charter and What it Portends on the Sahel Foreign Policy



 By Emmanuel Akinwale

Military leaders from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have signed a significant mutual defense pact known as the Liptako-Gourma Charter. The central idea behind the establishment of the Liptako-Gourma Charter is to address the security challenges afflicting the Sahel region.

It's worth noting that these signatory countries practice stratocracy, a system of government administered by military junta.

The primary objectives of the Liptako-Gourma Charter include:

1. Formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to create a framework for collective defense and mutual assistance among these nations.

2. Addressing the severe jihadist activities and instability in the Liptako-Gourma region, where the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger converge.

3. Combining military and economic efforts to confront common security threats and improve the well-being of their populations.


Key Provisions of the Charter include:

1. Mutual Assistance: The charter obliges signatory nations to provide mutual assistance, including military support, in case of an attack on any of them.

2. Security Restoration: It allows the use of armed force to restore and maintain security in the face of aggression.

3. Rebellion Prevention: The agreement commits the three countries to collaborate on preventing or resolving armed rebellions within their borders.

A closer look at these provisions reveals that they aim to strengthen the signatories against external threats. This includes concerns about ECOWAS, which is viewed as an external threat due to its opposition to military rule. In essence, if ECOWAS were to take military action, the signatories of the Liptako-Gourma Charter would respond militarily. This situation polarizes Sahel Africa into two distinct ideological stances: one favoring military governance and the other advocating democratic governance.

If this conflict were to escalate into a hot war, it could potentially escalate to the scale of a global conflict, similar to the Russo-Ukrainian war. Countries allied with Ukraine would support the democratic side of Sahel Africa, while Russia's allies would back the military junta in Sahel Africa. Additionally, a Cold War scenario in Africa could emerge, with Europe having the option to align with either ideological stance. This highlights a power struggle in the quest for independence from neo-colonialism and European influence in African administration.

In response to this complex situation, the signatories of the Liptako-Gourma Charter are likely to adopt foreign policies that include:

1. Severing diplomatic ties with their former colonial powers – Mali serves as a relevant case study.

2. Maintaining limited bilateral relationships with advocates of democratic governance in Africa.

3. Promoting indigenous rule free from foreign influence across the African continent.

In this ideological Cold War, which has the potential to escalate into a hot war, it is evident that victory for the Axis powers (the signatories of the Liptako-Gourma Charter) would likely diminish the influence and legitimacy of ECOWAS in West Africa. Moreover, Sahel Africa would align with the ideology of the victor, potentially signaling the end of European influence on the continent.

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