IN PICS East Africa rallies with the anti-imperialist struggle in the Sahel

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cross East Africa, solidarity with the people of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is gaining momentum, as activists, intellectuals, and workers draw inspiration from the revolutionary path being charted by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Various events were held in Kenya and Tanzania to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) on September 26, 2023.

On September 19, 2025, a forum was convened in Nairobi by the Ngong Social Justice Center Revolutionary Socialist League (RSL) and Ukombozi Library to commemorate the second anniversary of the AES. The event’s theme was “Two Years on: Looking At the Alliance of the Sahel”.

The gathering started with the screening of a documentary on Modibo Keïta, Mali’s first president and a leading Pan-Africanist, produced by African Stream. The discussions that followed highlighted the deep historical links between Keita’s socialist vision and the present-day anti-imperialist wave sweeping across the Sahel. The forum was also enriched by the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research dossier on the Sahel’s fight for sovereignty that frames this as a struggle not just of states, but of peoples, a continuation of the anti-colonial project of the 20th century, revived by popular mobilisation against imperialist intervention.

A second forum, held on September 25 by Ukombozi Library, revisited these themes. Participants reflected on Modibo Keita’s enduring legacy; his bold rejection of French neo-colonial control, his efforts to industrialize Mali, and his advocacy for a united, confederal Africa. For Keïta, Pan-African unity was the antidote to the “Balkanisation of Africa”, a strategy deployed by colonial powers to keep the continent weak and divided.

Socialist and progressive forces in Tanzania issued a solidarity statement this month, saluting the AES as a “significant force to be reckoned with”. The statement, endorsed by grassroots organisations, framed the Sahel struggle as part of a broader African fight to undo five centuries of exploitation and foreign domination.

🔗Read more about the recent actions in Tanzania and Kenya in solidarity with the peoples of the Alliance of Sahel States here with Peoples Dispatch: https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/29/east-africa-rallies-with-the-anti-imperialist-struggle-in-the-sahel/