The step toward judicial integration further advances the unification of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which earlier this year unveiled a common flag and a regional passport, allowing its people to cross borders freely.

The recent formation of the Alliance of Sahel States is further proof of the consolidation of anti-French sentiment in the region. Philippe Toyo Noudjenoume, President of the West Africa Peoples’ Organization, says that this sentiment is especially strong in the Sahel region but is common throughout French-speaking Africa