Sahel region alliances redrawn after break with France

ABHIDJAN: French president Emmanuel Macron has announced billions of dollars of investment for Africa at a summit in Kenya, but the absence of three Sahel states whose relations with Paris are tense underscores the region's shifting alliances.

Former French colonies Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are led by juntas who seized power in coups between 2020 and 2023.

After forcing out French troops sent to help in the fight against jihadist groups, the three west African countries set up their own confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).



Just ahead of the Africa Forward summit aimed at renewing French ties with the continent, Macron said Europe's former colonial powers were "not the predators" of 21st-century Africa.

Yet, the junta-led Sahelian nations have turned to "semi-authoritarian" partners to "stay in power", a 2025 study by Nina Wilen of the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations think tank said.

Russia, security pillar

Cooperation with Moscow is mostly military: arms supplies, training and operational support against local branches of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, mainly in Mali, where paramilitaries of Moscow-controlled Africa Corps are active.

They did not, however, prevent the capture of the key northern town of Kidal by predominantly Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) last month.

In Niger and Burkina Faso, Russian aid is focused on training and intelligence.

Sahelian armies and their Russian allies have regularly been accused of deadly violations against civilians, which the juntas deny.

Moscow has also bolstered its diplomatic and political foothold, it opened embassies in Burkina Faso in 2023 and in Niger in 2025.

Cooperation also extends to the mining sector, particularly gold, and the energy industry.

Russian group Rosatom has a role in civil nuclear projects in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

Last year, the company signed an agreement with Niamey to exploit uranium deposits amid a standoff between Niger's military rulers and French nuclear giant Orano, whose local subsidiary the junta has nationalised.

China, economic partner

China has focused on investment, financial aid and access to raw materials, without military involvement.

In Burkina Faso, Beijing approved more than $30 million in aid last year to support energy and infrastructure.

Chinese group Yunhong is exploring rare earths deposits in the country, as well as gold and other metals such as nickel and copper.

Burkina's junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore has even appointed Chinese businessman Li Yubao, a naturalised Burkinabe citizen, as his special adviser.

In Niger, China has underpinned its presence in the oil and steel sectors, commissioning an oil pipeline in 2024 to export up to 90,000 barrels per day.

In southern Mali, Chinese companies operate two major lithium mines, the key metal used in electric vehicle batteries.

Chinese state-owned arms manufacturer Norinco is also one of the main suppliers to the Malian junta. Recent deliveries included air defence systems and armoured vehicles.

Turkish drone diplomacy

Turkey is developing a strategy that combines military cooperation with economic partnerships.

It is the key supplier of armed drones to Sahelian countries, notably Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci models.

Turkey has trained Malian commandos and last month signed a deal to send instructors to Niger.

Turkish private security firms, such as Sadat and Canik Academy, have also trained elite Malian military units, according to security sources.

In mining, a deal with Niger in 2024 facilitated access for Turkish companies to gold and uranium, Hasret Kargin, a researcher at intelligence firm Mintel World, said.

US adopts pragmatic route

Under president Donald Trump, Washington has adopted a pragmatic approach to the Sahel based on "stability rather than democracy", Kargin said.

The United States recently stepped up its diplomatic efforts in west Africa's Sahel region to revive intelligence cooperation channels, contain Russian and Chinese influence and safeguard its access to mineral resources.

"Mali remains one of Africa's leading gold producers and some believe it could become the continent's top lithium producer this year," US ambassador to Bamako Rachna Korhonen told a trade fair on extractive industries last month.

She said that US companies were free to partner with Malian firms for research and exploration purposes.

But she stressed that "a transparent and predictable business environment is essential" for such investments.

Nick Checker, a senior US state department official for Africa, told AFP in April that the Sahel region juntas wanted to resume security cooperation with Washington.

US surveillance capabilities in the region have been limited since the withdrawal of American troops from Niger in 2024 and closure of its strategic northern drone base in Agadez.