Pan-African group condemns alleged French mercenary attempts to destabilize Sahel

The Sahel Solidarity Campaign Network (SaS-CaN) has condemned what it claims are efforts by hired French mercenaries to destabilize the Sahel region and target the lives of its leaders.

The organization decries the alleged assassination plots against leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Republic of Niger, expressing profound concern over foreign interventionist strategies that it says threaten the peace, stability, and sovereignty of African nations.

“Africans no longer accept assassination of their leaders and destabilization efforts to advance the colonial-driven agenda of exploitation, thievery, racism, and subjugation of black people on the continent and abroad,” stated the SaS-CaN.

Shocked by these alleged actions, SaS-CaN accused foreign powers of “unrelenting efforts to destabilize the Sahel and assassinate the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Republic of Niger.”

Pointing a strong finger at France, SaS-CaN suggested that “unless it is irrefutably ascertained otherwise, we at SaS-CaN are of the opinion that the French government in Paris bears complicity in these destabilisation efforts on African soil.” They went on to add that “the dividing line between the terrorist outfits operating in the Sahel region and Paris has become increasingly thin by the day.”

Africans, the organization noted, are rallying in unified condemnation of what they termed “dastardly and cowardly acts” against African leaders and citizens. “All Africans speak in one voice that enough is enough with the brutal assassination of their authentic leaders on the continent,” said SaS-CaN, demanding an end to “colonial manipulation” and asserting that these actions undermine the very fabric of Africa’s peace, stability, and sustainable development.

Invoking the painful memories of African revolutionary leaders lost, such as Burkina Faso’s Captain Thomas Sankara and Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the SaS-CaN underscored the significance of their legacy. “Thomas Sankara is a symbol of African liberation and prosperity, a brave and distinguished African revolutionary, whose noble memory will live on in the struggle of the African masses,” the statement read, emphasizing the long-standing impact of external forces on the continent’s leadership.

The SaS-CaN expressed particular alarm over “an international conspiracy to undermine peace, stability, and ongoing development activities and prosperity in Africa,” linking it to the recent destabilization attempts in the Sahel States. In response, the network called on Africans to stand united, warning that “imperialism will see no room to manipulate local traitors to pawn the dignity of Black people” if the continent maintains solidarity.

The organization, which has long supported Sahel leaders like General Assimi Goïta of Mali, Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger, voiced its commitment to defending African sovereignty and peace. “What the detractors of Africa deliberately failed to appreciate is the desire of leaders like General Assimi Goïta of Mali, Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani of the Republic of Niger, for peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the Sahel States,” they said.

SaS-CaN called on nations around the world to respect international law and support African-led peace initiatives, condemning “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings irrespective of the motives.” They urged the international community to join in “the fight against misinformation and disinformation” and to oppose those fueling conflict in the region.

“With unity among Africans, imperialism will see no room to manipulate local traitors,” SaS-CaN’s statement concluded, calling for a collective effort to end violence in the Sahel and honor the sovereignty and dignity of African nations.

The statement, signed by SaS-CaN co-founder and President Chief Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh, serves as a call to action for Africans and supporters worldwide to stand against foreign interference and champion the cause of peace, stability, and progress in the Sahel region.