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Turkey: Erdogan’s Winning Strategy in Africa
Despite the wave of coups d’état in West Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had close ties to the ousted regimes of Guinea, Mali, and Niger, has successfully protected his country’s interests in the region. He has done so through a strategy that combines drone diplomacy with business interests.
Niger Deepens Strategic Ties with Russia After Break from France
Civil nuclear cooperation and uranium development signal a shift in Niamey's global posture In a development that further signals Niger’s departure from its traditional Western orbit, Niamey hosted a high-level Russian delegation on July 28, 2025, led by Russian...
Jihadist Expansion Threatens Coastal West Africa
The Sahel is confronting an intensifying insurgency that continues to evolve in scale and complexity. Armed groups such as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) are adapting and adjusting their...
Sahel: Terror Groups Gain Ground as Armies Struggle to Contain Them
Al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch (GSIM) is now emerging as the region’s dominant jihadist force. Even the brutal Islamic State has been largely unable to contain SGIM’s expansion, which has been expanding its control across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
While the Sahel Faces Worsening Security Climate, Juntas Leverage Regional Integration to Consolidate Power
Sahelian juntas push regional integration, abolishing roaming charges and unifying ID documents, but these efforts bolster their control. Amid human rights abuses and worsening jihadist crises, reliance on Russia and regional tensions leave citizens in peril.
Mining Standoffs in the Sahel: Two Companies in the Midst of a Foreign Investor Crisis
French uranium firm Orano faces a standoff with Niger over its Somaïr subsidiary, while Mali has issued arrest warrants for Barrick Gold’s CEO in a contract dispute.
Sahel: Foreign Mining Firms Face Growing Risks as Juntas Assert Control Over Resources
Foreign mining companies in the Sahel are encountering unprecedented challenges as the military juntas in Mali and Niger tighten their grip on natural resources.
Sahel/Sahara: Unprecedented Summer Flooding Devastates Numerous Regions
Every summer, the Sahara and Sahel regions experience floodings that cause deaths and damage. This year, however, the magnitude of the destruction appears more severe. In this month of August, devastating rains and floods hit the corridor stretching from southern...
Sahel: Wagner Lost Men in Tinzouatin, but Russia Sees Real ROI in the Sahel. It May Now Make a Move on Nigeria
Russia is seeing a good "return on its investment" in the Sahel. Both Mali and Niger have cut their ties with Ukraine after Kiev’s intelligence agency GUR said it was involved in the clash at the end of July that claimed the lives of dozens of Russian mercenaries and...
Sahel: Tension over unfulfilled Niger fuel delivery to Mali
Niger is the new energy producing hub in the Sahel and as such, it is providing hope for other nations in the region that their energy problems would be reduced given Niger's hydrocarbon reserves. Niger already has a deal to supply Mali. But there has been a...
Brief: Sahel Juntas Confirm their Rejection of ECOWAS
Niger just hosted a summit of the leaders of three Sahel nations, an event that was used to confirm their rejection of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The West African grouping has sided against the coups that brought to power the military...
Niger: Rebel group attacks pipeline, warns Chinese contractor to stay clear
The Patriotic Front of Liberation (FPL), a rebel group based between northern Niger and southern Libya, claims to have destroyed a section of Niger’s pipeline, and issued threats against the Chinese firm managing the project.
Sahel: French company Orano loses operating license of key uranium site in Niger
The Nigerien government revoked the operating permit for the Imouraren uranium mine from the French company Orano to assert sovereignty over its resources.
Niger: More Russian Weapons and Military Instructors Land in Niamey
The departure of the French and American troops from Niger created an opportunity for the Russians to replace them. The Russians’ objective is to clearly counter the west and reduce its influence in the Sahel, West Africa and elsewhere on the African continent. The...
Niger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrants
The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating from Niger. In return, two days later Algeria also summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Niger in Algiers, Aminou...
US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Audio version: The news: The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the ruling junta there. Clearly as the junta is paving the way for the Russian military to enter Niger and expand their presence...
Niger and Mali up their anti-Western positions, lash out at France and US
Backlash against France continues in Niger, with several local media reporting that security and intelligence services in Niamey discovered this past week "a significant arsenal of war weapons" in a villa and in the premises of the European Union civilian crisis...
Niger: Two soldiers killed in insurgent attack in Diffa
Sahel: Wagner Group closes in on Mali’s N’Tillit gold mine
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso share a common border. GPS coordinates [14.9143, 0.2424] are where the three countries meet, and this is an area where terrorism and instability reign supreme. Insurgent groups have proliferated, attacking on one side of the border(s),...
Podcast: The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis where Foreign Meddlers are Congregating
Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...
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