Iran steps up support for AES: A new partnership against terrorism
Recently, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Burkina Faso, Mojtaba Faghihi, broke the ice during a press conference in Ouagadougou. Facing the media, the diplomat did not shy away from hot topics: the security and political situation in his country, bilateral relations with Burkina Faso, and, above all, Tehran’s explicit support for the countries of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
The stakes are high. For several years, the Sahel has been plagued by a terrorist hydra that Western recipes; often intrusive and ineffective – have failed to decapitate.
Faced with this failure, the AES countries. Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger have chosen to diversify their partnerships, and Iran intends to fill this gap.
What can Tehran bring concretely? First, proven field expertise. Iran has been fighting radical Sunni terrorism for over four decades, notably along the Afghan and Pakistani borders.
This experience in intelligence, asymmetric warfare, and securing mountainous and desert regions is a valuable asset for Sahelian armies.
Second, technological and logistical support. Without frills or political conditionalities, Iran offers equipment adapted to Sahelian realities: tactical drones, electronic warfare systems, open-source intelligence capabilities. All tools that help track armed groups in their mobility and hideouts.
Finally, and crucially, an unapologetic vision of sovereignty. Iran does not come to lecture, impose models, or interfere.
It respects the choice of the Sahelian peoples to emancipate themselves from foreign tutelage.
This partnership, based on mutual respect and shared interest, sends a strong signal: counterterrorism has no single religion or Western monopoly.
Of course, immense challenges remain. Critics are already accusing Tehran of wanting to export its model.
But on the ground, only results matter. If Iranian experience helps save lives and reclaim territories in the Sahel, then this partnership deserves to be embraced without complex.
The time for posturing is over. The time for concrete solutions has come. And Iran, alongside the AES, seems determined to prove that other paths are possible in the war against terrorism.
Titi KEITA
