By Communiqué No. 30 dated May 15, 2022, the Transitional Government of Mali announced its decision to withdraw from all organs and bodies of the “G5 Sahel,” a military alliance aimed at combating jihadist groups. Consequently, this communiqué entails Mali’s withdrawal from the National Transitional Council and the G5 Sahel Interparliamentary Committee (CIP-G5 Sahel).

This decision is justified, among other reasons, by the refusal to transfer the rotating presidency of the institution to Mali, which should have headed the institution since February; it also reflects the denunciation of maneuvers aimed at isolating Mali, according to the current authorities. Although this act seems to isolate Mali further by depriving it of the positive benefits of this military alliance, Mali’s withdrawal could to some extent sound the death knell of this regional security effort. From this perspective, the Transitional Government accuses the organization of being “instrumentalized” by “external” forces. With this departure, the regional force is reduced to four (4) countries: Mauritania, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

This announcement follows the decision made in early May by the transitional government to terminate the 2014 cooperation treaty with France and the 2013 and 2020 agreements establishing the legal framework for the presence of the anti-jihadist force “Barkhane” and the European special forces group “Takuba.”

Indeed, Mali’s withdrawal could lead to the disappearance of the G5 Sahel, thereby annihilating the efforts made by the member states who would be forced to resort again to isolated initiatives against these multinational criminal groups that jihadist groups represent in the Sahel region. Failing that, Mali’s withdrawal would lead to a reconfiguration of the G5 Sahel, which would then be called upon to operate in a context characterized by a dual uncertainty: an unstable Libya on one side, and on the other, a Mali potentially becoming the new regional sanctuary for terrorist groups present in the Sahel, should Mali’s individual efforts fail to curb the prevailing terrorist threat.

Mali’s withdrawal thus calls for a redefinition of the overall strategy of the G5 Sahel if this military alliance intends to remain faithful to its objective of securing an increasingly insecure Sahel.