Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have signed a so-called Sahel security pact

The military governments of three African states, which all deposed their Western-backed leaders in recent years, have agreed to assist each other, individually or collectively, in case of any external aggression or internal threat to their sovereignty.

"Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties," according to the charter of the pact, cited by Reuters. 

Mali's interim president, Assimi Goita, said on Saturday night that he signed the pact with the leaders of Burkina Faso and Niger "with the aim of establishing a collective defense and mutual assistance framework."

The new Alliance of Sahel States comprises three countries which had been members of the Paris-supported G5 Sahel pact with Chad and Mauritania, which has fallen apart following a series of military coups.

The Defence Minister of Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, explained that this "alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries" with a priority on the fight against terrorism, particularly in the Liptako-Gourma region where the three countries' borders meet.

Mali and Burkina Faso previously stated that any attack on Niger would be a "declaration of war" against them as well, after several of Niger's neighbors from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatened to send troops to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

Paris was forced to withdraw troops from Mali following tensions with the military government in 2020. Earlier this year, it also pulled out of Burkina Faso after the country's military rulers ordered them to leave.

Niger's coup leaders also canceled military agreements that allowed French forces to fight jihadists in the Sahel region, giving the former colonial power only a month to pull out its 1,500 troops. France, however, ignored the ultimatum and demands for its ambassador to leave, as it refused to recognise the authority of the new leadership.