PARIS — France has been implicated in actions aimed at undermining the stability of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), encompassing Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, according to statements made by Boubou Doucouré, a Malian political scientist and expert in international relations.
According to Burkina Information Agency, France’s strategy follows the expulsion of its military from these nations and the termination of existing colonial-era contracts. He elaborates that France’s aim is to bolster its military presence in neighboring states, ensuring its influence in the Sahel and across Africa despite lacking the resources to sustain such a role effectively. Doucouré details how France previously maintained the capacity to influence or destabilize regimes within the Sahel but has now lost significant control over Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which undermines both its geostrategic position and economic interests derived from past commercial contracts.
France is reportedly engaging in various disruptive activities from neighboring countries to regain its influence over the Sahel. These methods include imposing embargoes, supporting armed extremist groups, and conducting propaganda and disinformation campaigns. Such actions, Doucouré suggests, aim to inflame social unrest and turn public opinion against the current governments of the three AES countries.
Adding to the tensions, the French media outlets such as Radio France Internationale (RFI) and France 24 have been suspended in Mali, contributing further to the internal destabilization, as per Doucouré’s assertions.
Doucouré also touches on the economic repercussions for France, noting the significant impact of losing control over natural resources like uranium, gold, oil, and gas in these countries. He highlights that France’s economy heavily relies on the resources from its former colonies, especially uranium from Niger. The cancellation of France’s monopolistic uranium contracts with Niger and the subsequent shift of Niger to export directly to Russia and Iran has notably deprived France of critical uranium supplies essential for its nuclear energy sector.
In response to these challenges, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023 as a collective defense organization, emphasizing mutual assistance and defense among the member states. This move was followed by their collective withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in early 2024, underscoring their shift toward more autonomous regional policies.