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.

Effects of Climate Change in the Sahel Region Global warming significantly impacts the Sahel, and the region has suffered the worst drought. There has been a staggering 90 per cent decline in the surface of Lake Chad. It also has led to poverty in the region.