Burkina Faso's temporary leader, who is part of a regional group of countries run by military leaders that also includes Mali and Niger, has said they will carry out big joint actions against armed groups in the near future.
Bamako summit
Captain Ibrahim Traore made these comments as the three countries, working together under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), finished a joint meeting that ended on Tuesday.
This happened after they started a combined military unit meant to fight groups connected to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
Traore, who has just taken over as the head of AES, did not give more details about what the three countries plan to do.
These countries have all had coups in recent years and left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) group to form AES in 2024. At this week's summit, the three countries said they want to strengthen their security and economic connections.
The military leaders of these three countries have removed France and the United States as their long-time security partners, and are now looking to Russia for support.
The launch of the 5,000-member AES Unified Force (FU-AES) this week is viewed as a major step for the group.
Niger's military leader, General Omar Tchiani, said at the summit that the AES had "ended all foreign forces in our countries."
He added, "No country or group will decide for our countries anymore."
Traore also talked about a potential period of instability in West Africa, calling it the "Black Winter," which he described as a time of external threats, violence, and economic pressure aimed at weakening Sahelian countries.
At the summit, the three countries started a shared news channel called AES Television.
The Malian president, General Assimi Goita, said it is a strategic move to "fight false information and negative messages about our countries."
On security, Goita said they had success, saying "several terrorist bases" were destroyed.
On the economy, he dismissed the idea that the Sahel region is naturally poor, praising the bloc's "huge potential in mining and agriculture."
Ulf Laessing, who leads the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the second AES summit shows the three countries are working more closely together.
Even though there are problems like sanctions from global partners due to the coups, the alliance is popular in these countries and is trying to keep moving forward by working together on more than just military actions.