According to the Latin American News Agency Havana on December 11, 2023 is coming to an end, and a series of events have focused the attention of ** on the Sahel region of Africa, from which the French ** team has left, and now it is up to its own army to ensure safety.
Two other noteworthy factors in the evolution of the situation in the subregion are the strengthening of military administration following the coup d'état and the tendency to forge alliances to strengthen defence.
In the Sahel region, a belt of 11 African countries, the central and eastern regions are very much changing, as a result of the political evolution in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following the overthrow of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Roque Marc Christian Kabore and Mohamed Bazoum.
While the instability in the Sahel was revealed by the 2012 Tuaregist rebellion in northern Mali, the decisive prelude came with the 2011 invasion of Libya by Western countries and Arab allies.
The repercussions of that war related to energy interests (oil) are still there, and it has disintegrated Libya, weakened the cohesion of the region, and left behind a rift in the expansion of armed radicalism.
In the year that is coming to an end, attacks by radical branches have affected the three countries that are under the protection of the military but have been accused by various African organizations of violating the democratic model.
In this tense environment, the inherent causes of underdevelopment that make life worse interact with each other, such as terrorist violence, racial disgust and social, political and economic imbalances.
Since 2020, there has been a series of military rebellions that have toppled the aforementioned leaders, and in Niger, where relations with France are seen as exemplary, coup d'état came to power this year. Despite the decline in Niger's exports to France's nuclear power plants, it remains an important player – with a share of at least 4 percent. Niger produced about 2,000 tonnes of uranium in 2022, a figure that has since decreased, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Observers see the ouster of Bazoum as a blow to Niamey's proximity to Paris's politico-military posture in the Sahel.
The formation of the army under the head of the Guards, General Abdurrahman Kiyani, in July has shaken the subregion and made the political situation more complex and contentious.
Against this backdrop, a number of "heavyweights" of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have warned of the possibility of using force against the coup d'état if the democratically elected ** is not reinstated.
The ultimatum issued by ECOWAS was rejected by Chiani's followers, who were supported by Mali and Burkina Faso**.
Since then, the three countries have formally formed a defence alliance: Niger** authorizes Mali and Burkina Faso to send troops to assist in the defense of their neighbors in the event of aggression.
Experts from the International Crisis Research Organization say the change responds to "a marked weakening of the concept of UN peacekeeping, which is inadequate to deal with asymmetric conflicts with terrorism as one of its main components."
The withdrawal of the French team confirmed the inadequacy of the defence and security treaties signed between the three countries and their former suzerains. (Compiled by Su Jiawei).