The Sahel, a area 3,860km large positioned south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east-west throughout the African continent, has been a spotlight of consideration around the globe not too long ago.
Within the final decade, points resembling terrorism, insecurity and trafficking have characterised the area.
Army takeovers have been a significant supply of concern within the area and past in the previous few years. Since 2020, the area has had 4 profitable coup d’états and three failed ones.
The coup in Niger significantly attracted consideration. It is because Niger was seen as a “darling of the west” and a mannequin for democratic governance within the area.
Regardless of the challenges dealing with the area, the scramble for the Sahel stays intense.
The principle actors on this scramble are the European Union, France, Russia, China and the US.
The EU depends on Sahelian international locations, particularly Niger, to cease mass unlawful immigration into the bloc. Niger is a significant transit nation within the area. Niger had safety and defence partnerships with the EU till not too long ago when the nation unilaterally cancelled the offers. It is a supply of concern to the EU.
Why are these overseas powers within the Sahel?
As a scholar in worldwide relations and having researched the area for over a decade, I see the primary causes as follows:
- availability of pure sources
- strategic location of the area in Africa
- financial pursuits of the international locations concerned within the scramble
- defence and safety cooperation within the type of arms gross sales.
International powers all have their causes to be concerned within the scramble for the Sahel.
France
A lot of the international locations within the Sahel area have been colonised by France. Not like Britain, France has maintained sturdy hyperlinks with former colonies. They cooperate within the economic system, defence and useful resource extraction, to say a couple of areas.
France has the first proper to purchase any pure sources found in all its former colonies. Though the connection between France and its former colonies appeared cordial, current coups in Francophone international locations and anti-France sentiments throughout Africa have revealed the other.
The coups have been adopted by massive demonstrations in opposition to France and in help of the putschists.
Regardless of these cracks, France is eager to take care of its grip on these international locations, particularly pertaining to army cooperation and useful resource extraction. France was reluctant to tug its army out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger regardless of the international locations severing army partnerships. It continues to extract pure sources in these international locations.
Russia
The relationships between Russia and plenty of Sahelian international locations have been established throughout the chilly conflict and colonial period. Extra not too long ago, the emphasis by western international locations on human rights, particularly throughout counterterrorism operations, has pushed Sahelian international locations nearer to Russia.
Whereas western allies demand the rule of regulation, democracy, and human rights in return for safety and financial help, Russia portrays itself in another way. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 additionally elevated Russia’s curiosity within the Sahel as a result of it’s eager to take care of allies in Africa.
Russia has overtly backed army regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso and warned in opposition to any army intervention in Niger when the army took energy. Moreover, the Wagner group, the controversial personal army firm which is managed by Russia, cooperates with some international locations within the Sahel. Niger has cancelled defence settlement with the EU and switched to Russia. All of those elements clarify Russia’s curiosity within the Sahel.
China
Like Russia, China portrays itself as an alternative choice to the normal ally (France) of Sahelian international locations. With a mantra of “non-interference” and “respecting sovereignty“, China has entrenched itself as a “companion” of nations within the Sahel.
The Sahel area is wealthy in pure sources resembling oil, uranium, pure gasoline and lithium. Chinese language state-owned enterprises function in Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso.
For example, Mali doubtlessly has one of many largest lithium reserves on the earth and China’s Ganfeng Lithium has invested closely within the nation. As well as, regardless of China’s improvement in army {hardware}, many of the weapons are untested. China is eager to make use of the conflicts within the Sahel to check its arms merchandise.
America
In 2019, the US opened its largest drone base in Africa in Agadez-Niger. A yr earlier than that, I had written in regards to the safety implications of the bottom for the area.
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Not like France and China, which each have in depth financial pursuits within the Sahel, the US has a robust army curiosity. Niger, particularly, is strategically positioned and the US can simply fly surveillance and reconnaissance drones from the nation to cowl the Sahel, west and central Africa.
As France is being militarily dislodged by its former colonies within the area, the US has been making an attempt to fill the void to forestall Russia and China from establishing additional army presence.
The US took a number of months to label the army takeover in Niger a coup in order to not lose strategic army cooperation and dominance.
The yr 2023 has been significantly difficult for the international locations within the Sahel. With points starting from financial instability to insecurity, the area stays fragile. Regardless of the instability and fragility, the scramble for the area stays intense with conventional allies resembling France dropping its grip and different powers stepping up.
The Sahel is one to regulate in 2024 and past.
Olayinka Ajala, Senior lecturer in Politics and Worldwide Relations, Leeds Beckett College
