Leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have unveiled AES Television, a joint regional broadcaster for Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, aiming to consolidate political, security, and information sovereignty. The channel was launched in Bamako by Mali’s transitional president Gen. Assimi Goita, Burkina Faso’s president Capt. Ibrahim Traore, and Niger’s head of state Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani during a two-day summit assessing the confederation’s first year.
Officials describe AES Television as a tool to counter disinformation, strengthen public communication, and promote a unified Sahelian narrative amid geopolitical shifts in West Africa. Its creation follows the bloc’s formal withdrawal from ECOWAS in January 2025, with leaders seeking parallel institutions reflecting their security and political priorities.
The broadcaster complements AES’s broader initiatives, including the 5,000-strong AES Unified Force to combat jihadist groups, and the Confederal Bank for Investment and Development (BCID-AES) to finance infrastructure and reduce dependency on external donors. With a population of around 78 million, AES Television is expected to help shape the region’s narrative, asserting the confederation’s sovereignty and telling the Sahel’s story in its own voice.
