The Sahel Seeks Sovereignty

No Cold War, West Africa Peoples’ OrganizationRepresentatives of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger at the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali The last year has seen tremendous transformations in the Sahel region with popularly-backed military coups calling for an end to French colonialism as well…

A New Formula for Security in West Africa: Alliance of Sahel States

Yao Nikez Adu Bound by a common destiny on issues of instability, security, the threat of terrorism, economic backwardness, etc., the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger decided to unite primarily because they were faced with the threat of ECOWAS military intervention in Niger, and also because it was necessary to act against these…

Is U.S. Imperialism Maneuvering Toward “Humanitarian Intervention” in Burkina Faso?

Netfa Freeman As Burkina Faso attempts to move away from neo-colonial domination by France and the United States, the possibility of intervention via “humanitarian” channels grows more likely. Western NGOs like Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Western state-funded news outlets such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA) are not merely…

The Sahel’s ‘Axis of Resistance’

Pepe Escobar The African Sahel is revolting against western neocolonialism – ejecting foreign troops and bases, devising alternative currencies, and challenging the old multinationals. Multipolarity, after all, cannot flower without resistance paving its path. The emergence of Axes of Resistance in various geographies is an inextricable byproduct of the long and winding process leading us toward a…

Britain’s Hidden Helicopter War in Niger

Phil Miller Chinooks fly over the Sahel region. (Photo: MoD) As Niger expels US troops, Declassified reveals British helicopters operated a taxi service for French forces in the uranium-rich African state. The RAF flew 39 helicopter missions into Niger before first publicly mentioning them Niger has been a “significant source” of uranium for EDF, the…

The Sahel Alliance: Why Former French Colonies Decided to Leave the ‘African Version of the EU’

Tamara Andreeva Will the new Sahel alliance remain incorporated in the West African economic bloc, or will it withdraw despite the sanctions having been lifted? ‘A threat to our countries’ West Africa has built one of the most prosperous economic communities on the continent. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is one of…

How a Joint African Military Force Can Accomplish What the West Could Not

Egountchi Behanzin Abdourahamane Tiani (Niger), Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso), Assimi Goïta (Mali) © RT  The Sahel States’ newly formed joint forces will be effective only if a complex approach is taken by the three nations The Sahel states have been facing numerous security challenges in recent years, such as terrorist threats, intercommunal conflicts, drug and…

A New African Alliance is Starting a Geopolitical Revolution on the Continent

Dr. Franklin Nyamsi A supporter of the Alliance Of Sahel States (ASS) holds a placard reading ‘only the struggle set free’ during a rally to celebrate Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Bamako on February 1, 2024. © OUSMANE MAKAVELI / AFP Why the choice of…

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Withdraw from ECOWAS

Peoples DispatchRepresentatives of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger at the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali Land area under ECOWAS, which is condemned by West Africa’s popular movements as an agent of French imperialism, has been reduced to less than half after their withdrawal…

Sahel Alliance Seeks Economic Independence

Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov Today’s developments on the African continent, in particular in some Sahel countries, run completely counter to the plans that Western regimes have long nurtured both for the region itself and for the entire continent. These processes, including those aimed at increasing economic independence, are very encouraging for Africans, but they also call on…

Kidal: A Strategic Step in the Reconquest of Mali’s National Territory

Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov While many voices hostile to Mali and its strategic allies continue to claim that the Malian state will find itself in great difficulty following the departure of Western forces, most notably the French, a departure now also formalized by UN forces, the reality is that Bamako today has fewer obstacles in the way…

“People Make the Revolution:” Charting an Anti-Imperialist Path in West Africa

Peoples Dispatch Rally in Niamey on August 6 in support of Niger’s coup leaders and against foreign intervention. Achy Ekissi of the Communist Party of Côte d’Ivoire talks about the coup in Niger, the political changes in the Sahel and the struggle against imperialism. He also talks about the role of the left in these…

Kambale Musavuli: Niger, Burkina and Beyond – All Across West Africa a Wave is Growing

The West African countries of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali are in rebellion against their former colonial masters, while the imperialists of the Global North try desperately to contain the situation. But the portrayal of these developments as mere “coups” hides the depth of popular anger, particularly against the French? What almost no one else…

“We Will Not Stand Idly By”: Mali Warns Against Repeat of NATO’s Libyan War in Niger

Peoples Dispatch Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop speaks at the UN General Assembly. Photo: UN Photo At the UN General Assembly, Mali and Burkina Faso reiterated their rejection of a military intervention against Niger, recalling the devastating 2011 NATO-led war on Libya and its role in fueling violence in the Sahel France’s ambassador to Niger,…

Under French-Backed Military Ruler Mahamat Deby, Chad is a “Pressure Cooker Waiting to Explode”

Pavan Kulkarni The transitional President of Chad, General Mahamat Deby (center). Photo: André Kodmadjingar (VOA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons While threatening war against Niger, ostensibly to restore democracy, France continues to back the military junta of Mahamat Deby which is accused of killing at least 128 pro-democracy protesters last year. However, anger against the…

Ideologies of Conquest: Colonialism and Civilization

Mustapha Saha In France, a new university year without many students from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso France invents cultural ostracization as pressure against Mali, Niger and Burkina-Faso On August 30, 2023, Malian, Burkinabe and Nigerian students received a notification from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs cancelling their stay in France. A directive from…

Is This the End of French Neo-Colonialism in Africa?

Zoe Alexandra, Vijay Prashad Thousands of people in Niger have taken to the streets to condemn the threat of military intervention and the severe sanctions imposed by ECOWAS. (Photo: ActuNiger) The recent formation of the Alliance of Sahel States is further proof of the consolidation of anti-French sentiment in the region. Philippe Toyo Noudjenoume, President of…

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Form Alliance of Sahel States to Advance Collective Defense

Tanupriya Singh (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali) As an ECOWAS military threat looms over Niger, the three countries have formally declared that any act of aggression against one will be considered an aggression against all. The leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have come to power in popularly-backed coups…

Mali: The Bloody Price of Dignity

Guadi Calvo Both Mali and Burkina Faso are paying a very high cost for the decision to break once and for all with France, the colonial power that continued to manage these countries, beyond the declaration of independence in the early sixties. The reasons and methods of control have been modified according to the times,…

Niger: Between Threats, Invasion and Self-Interest

Diego Sequera A month and a few days have passed since the coup transition process in the Republic of Niger, against the backdrop of a series of political-military movements in the neighboring countries of the region comprising the Sahel and a large part of West Africa, both, to a large extent, the object of very…

“Army and People Stand Together against the West.”

Kıvanç Özdal We believe that Africa will be more important than ever in the 21st century. The multipolar world of the 21st century and the coming centuries will shift the center of gravity of the world. Just as it is happening already in the Sahel, it will spread to other regions. We will see the…