Sahel Edition

Sahel: Foreign Mining Firms Face Growing Risks as Juntas Assert Control Over ResourcesF

Posted On 11 November 2024

Number of times this article was read : 10368

Mining companies that have been operating in the Sahel for a long time are now experiencing a tectonic shift in their industry’s landscape in the region. The Sahel has always attracted entrepreneurial companies from far away Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa and other places, eager to take risk in the Sahel, long regarded as a resource-rich region with vast mineral reserves. But these days, since the Sahelian nations of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso were taken over by military juntas, mining companies are now experiencing heightened risk like never before.

🔒 SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ANALYSIS


This in-depth analysis is reserved exclusively for clients subscribing to The North Africa Journal.

Already a subscriber?
Please log in here

More on the Sahel

Mali: Bamako Under Siege$

Bamako is facing mounting pressure as jihadist group JNIM expands its campaign beyond military operations and increasingly targets the economic lifelines connecting Mali’s capital to the rest of West Africa. Attacks on highways, freight traffic, and commercial transport corridors have disrupted trade, affected regional commerce, and raised concerns about the government’s ability to maintain security and economic stability.

German Think Tank Accuses the UAE of Destabilizing Africa$

A report published by Germany’s Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik accuses the United Arab Emirates of playing a destabilizing role in several African conflicts through support for armed groups, logistical networks, and regional interventions. The report focuses particularly on Sudan, Libya, the Horn of Africa, and Yemen, while also criticizing Western governments for avoiding direct public criticism of Abu Dhabi.

Mali: After Kidal, The War Comes to Bamako$

Mali’s military government lost Kidal to a joint FLA-JNIM offensive on April 26, 2026, after Russian Africa Corps personnel and Malian troops withdrew under rebel escort. The fall of the city, retaken by Bamako with Russian support in November 2023, exposes the limits of the junta’s sovereignty narrative and raises serious questions about the durability of Mali’s security model.