by Nicholas Mwangi, Breakthrough News
Tafouk TV, the media channel launched by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), has taken a significant step forward, beginning regular programming from Bamako on September 16.
The launch marks another step in the efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, to build shared institutions since forming the AES Confederation, which has also launched joint military operations and AES passports.
The channel’s origins lie in an agreement signed by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in Bamako on December 21, 2025. Two days later, on December 23, the AES College of Heads of State formally launched it during their summit in the Malian capital.
Tafouk TV is one part of a wider confederal media system that also includes the Daandè Liptako radio station, which began broadcasting in December 2025, and a planned confederal press agency. The AES governments present these outlets as sovereign communication tools that reflect the realities, priorities and aspirations of Sahelian people.
In June 2026, Mali’s Minister of Communication, Digital Economy and Administrative Modernization, Alhamdou Ag Ilyène, presided over the inaugural session of Tafouk TV‘s Board of Directors in Bamako.
The board is chaired by Hélène Ayika, and administrators appointed by all three member states attended alongside the channel’s director general. The Malian government called the meeting an important step in the “operationalization” of the channel, which was already functional at the time.
Each member state then completed its own legal process. Mali’s National Transitional Council unanimously ratified the founding agreements on July 10. Burkina Faso’s Legislative Assembly followed on July 21, with all 59 deputies present voting in favor.
