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  • Sahel

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on October 2, 2025. Mikhail METZEL / AFP

After Valdai: Putin moves from ideology to action

The Russian president says the next step is shaping a new construct—sovereignty as a service, as a resource, as an exportable value—which can already be seen in Africa

Sergey Eledinov 19 October 2025
Heads of State and Government of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Niamey, Niger, July 6, 2024 Reuters

Why more states are walking away from the ICC

The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Rome Statute shows how international legal institutions are increasingly being seen as instruments of imperialism.

Sergey Eledinov 05 October 2025
Armed men from the MSA, an armed political movement in Mali's Azawad region, gather in the desert outside Menaka on March 14, 2020. AFP

The Sahel's paramilitary problem

Armed groups are being formed in places like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, where state militaries cannot defeat jihadists and separatists alone. Once formed, however, they seldom stay loyal.

Sergey Eledinov 16 September 2025
The foreign ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States attend a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on April 3, 2025. Pavel Bednyakov / AFP

Why Russia is doubling down on diplomacy in the Sahel

Amid growing competition for influence in Africa from the US, Moscow has been deepening military and economic ties there, especially in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Now, it must deliver.

Sergey Eledinov 09 August 2025
Eduardo Ramon

Putin talks Islamists, gold, and nuclear power with Mali’s leader

A five-day visit to Moscow ended with agreements to cooperate in a range of areas. Mali wants nuclear power and Russian military support, whereas the Kremlin has its eyes on a precious metal.

Sergey Eledinov 05 July 2025
Protesters gather in Bamako on April 12, 2025, to respond to a call from Malian youth organisations to protest "aggression by Algeria," accusing Mali of shooting down a drone belonging to its army on Malian territory. AFP

The drone that shattered Sahelian diplomacy

The incident is a clear signal that it's no longer business-as-usual in the Sahel. New alliances and shifting dynamics are reshaping the region.

Aman Bezreh 04 May 2025
Artisanal miners in the Inchiri region pulling up ore from the bottom of a pit in Akjoujt, Mauritania on September 21, 2020. shutterstock

Mauritania's mineral treasure trove drives its rapid growth

One of the world's poorest nations currently has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Looking at the map and surveys of its mineral deposits shows why that might continue.

Mohamed Sharki 09 March 2025
This video grab shows Malian security personnel detaining a man after Mali's army said a military training camp in the capital, Bamako, was attacked on September 17 2024. AP

Bamako attacks expose the fragility of AES states

A recent jihadist attack on Mali's capital and a growing threat from northern rebels reportedly getting help from Ukraine begs the question: is the Sahel a new Russia-West battleground?

Aman Bezreh 28 September 2024
Two soldiers raise the flags of Niger and the United States during a ceremony in Agadez in April 2018.

Uranium in the Sahel: As the West steps out, Iran steps in

The US and French withdrawal from the Sahel lets the Russians, Chinese, and Iranians in. Tehran, in particular, will be keen to buy Niger's uranium, despite this being a red line for Washington.

Mohamed Sharki 22 April 2024
Hundreds of newly trained al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area some 18 km south of Mogadishu, in Somalia on Feb. 17, 2011. AP

How the Sahel became a breeding ground for terrorists

A huge belt of land dividing the dry Sahara from the tropical savannah has become a playground for mercenaries. An absence of state security, poverty, and a lack of education create the perfect storm.

Abdullah F. Alrebh 18 February 2024
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Sara Padovan
Politics

The flaw in Trump’s 'dealmaking' Middle East peace plan

16 October 2025

Rushed deals and a disregard for root problems provide a flimsy foundation for sustainable peace  

Abdullah F. Alrebh
Opinion

Syria, Russia reassert ties with an eye on mutual benefits

20 October 2025

Syria seeks balance and protection; Russia wants permanence and influence. These issues were surely discussed when Sharaa met Putin in Moscow last week.

Ibrahim Hamidi
LDP President Sanae Takaichi receives applause after she was selected as Japan's new prime minister during an extraordinary session of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on October 21, 2025. Philip FONG / AFP
Profiles

Sanae Takaichi: Japan's first female prime minister

21 October 2025

Her task will be to balance the country's security imperatives with American expectations regarding burden-sharing, defence spending, and economic cooperation

Futoshi Matsumoto
Peter Reynolds
Business & Economy

The fight for resources could determine who 'wins' the war in Sudan

17 October 2025

The army and the RSF rely on the assets at their disposal to sustain governance and fund their war efforts, while trying to win over the international community by seizing larger swathes of Sudan

Sharif Mohammad
Israeli singer Yuval Raphael parades with the Israeli flag during the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 16, 2025. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Culture & Social Affairs

Cultural boycotts: the double standards that expose Western hypocrisy

16 October 2025

The international community's contradictory responses to Ukraine and Gaza lay bare the farce of a supposed rules-based global order

Sawsan Jamil Hasan

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