A group of Malian, Burkinabe and Nigerien citizens living in exile announced on Tuesday the creation of the Alliance of Democrats of the Sahel (ADS), a movement that intends to defend public freedoms and work towards a return to constitutional order in these countries ruled by military regimes.

The Sahel region is experiencing a serious political crisis, marked by a succession of coups d'état between 2020 and 2022 that brought juntas to power in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The three countries, facing violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, are regularly accused of restricting civil liberties and suppressing dissenting voices in the name of the fight against jihadism.

"The ADS was born from a desire among Malian, Burkinabe and Nigerien democrats not to accept fate, not to let our countries collapse," Dr. Mayra Djibrine, president of the collective in exile in Paris, explained to AFP.

The ADS was created in Brussels by about fifty people: members of civil society, political figures and opinion leaders living mainly in Europe and Africa, according to Ms. Djibrine.

"We cannot allow people, just because they have weapons, to get up one fine day and confiscate the will of the people, to take entire countries hostage," said the president of the ADS.

The group claims to want to encourage the partners of the Sahelian juntas to exert pressure in order to obtain the organization of elections by the military authorities, respect for human rights and the release of political prisoners in the three countries.

The movement, which plans to officially launch its activities on May 9 in Brussels, also intends to open a membership campaign.