Scramble for the Sahel

• Context (DTH): In the last decade, terrorism, insecurity and trafficking have characterised the region.

Sahel Region

• The word Sahel, or Sahil in Arabic, means coast or shore.
• The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
• The Sahara Desert surrounds it in the north and the Savannah to the south.
• The Sahel region comprises 12 countries and houses 400 million people.
• Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mauritania form the G5 Sahel, the core of the Sahel region.
• A Sahel Security Pact was also signed between the countries recently.

Foreign interests: Reasons

• Richness in natural resources such as oil, uranium, natural gas, and lithium.
• The strategic location of the region in Africa.
• Economic interests of the countries involved in the scramble.
• Defence and security cooperation in the form of arms sales.

The Scramble

• The main actors in the scramble are the European Union, France, Russia, China, and the US.

France

• Most of the countries in the Sahel region were colonised by France.
• Now, France is often described as a ‘waning power’ in Africa.
• Vacuum, created by decolonisation, was taken over by Jihadis and insurgent groups.
• Operation Serval and later Operation Barkhane were launched to combat insurgents in the region.
• France declared a withdrawal of troops after anti-French demonstrations in Mali in 2021.
• Yet, France was reluctant to pull its military out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
• Moreover, France has the first right to buy any natural resources discovered in all its former colonies.

Russia

• The Cold War and colonial era brought Russia and Sahelian countries closer.
• Overemphasis by Western countries on human rights has pushed Sahelian countries closer to Russia.
• The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 necessitated allies in Africa.
• Wagner Group, the controversial private military company controlled by Russia, cooperates with some countries in the Sahel.
• Niger has cancelled its defence agreement with the EU and switched to Russia.

China

• China portrays itself as an alternative to the Sahelian countries’ traditional ally (France).
• It has depicted itself as a “partner” in the Sahel with “non-interference” and “respecting sovereignty”.
• Chinese state-owned enterprises operate in Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso.
• China is keen to test its arms products in the conflicts in the Sahel.

The United States

• The US has a strong military interest in the region due to its strategic location, specifically Niger.
• The US can carry surveillance and reconnaissance operations to cover the Sahel, west and central Africa.
• In 2019, the US opened its largest African drone base in Agadez, Niger.
• The U.S. is fulfilling the void created by the exit of France to prevent Russia and China from establishing a further military presence.

European Union (EU)

• The EU relies on Sahelian countries, especially Niger, to stop mass illegal immigration into the bloc.
• Niger is a significant transit country in the region.
• Niger had security and defence partnerships with the EU until recently.