The Ministers of Justice of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—have approved the creation of a high-security prison linked to the future Sahelian Criminal and Human Rights Court, aimed at combating terrorism and serious crimes across the Sahel region.
A final communiqué issued following the meeting of the AES Justice Ministers, held on May 29 and 30 in Bamako, states that the upcoming Criminal Court will be responsible for judging the most serious crimes within the Confederation. This will be done in a complementary or subsidiary manner to national jurisdictions, and will include acts of terrorism, transnational organized crimes, and major human rights violations.
According to the document, as reported by local media, the ministers also approved the principle of accelerated harmonization of criminal laws across the AES region, particularly in areas such as terrorism, cybercrime, money laundering, human trafficking, and offenses against state sovereignty. It further notes the establishment of a regional database of individuals wanted or convicted for serious crimes, which will be accessible to the judicial and security authorities of the three countries.
The goal is to improve coordination of investigations, prevent legal grey zones, and strengthen the traceability of dangerous individuals across borders.
The AES ministers also decided to organize joint training sessions for judicial actors and to pool technical resources to enhance the efficiency of legal and judicial systems. They emphasized the urgent need to strengthen initial and ongoing training for both judicial and prison staff.
They also expressed a shared commitment to creating a regional training center for judicial and penitentiary personnel, aimed at improving the skills of professionals in the sector through joint training modules tailored to the specific security challenges of the Sahel.
According to Malian Prime Minister, Major General Abdoulaye Maïga, who presided over the opening of the meeting, “the transnational nature of terrorism, the support received by terrorist and criminal organizations, and the complexity of investigations leave no choice but to explore solutions at the Confederation level.” He added that a unified and harmonized judicial response will help enhance the visibility of the efforts made by member states to promote and protect human rights.
