Scramble for the Sahel – why France, Russia, China and the United States are interested in the region

Posted on Mon 08 January 2024 in Africa • Tagged with Sahel, France, Russia, China, United States, USA, Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso

Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University

Ecoregion AT0713

The Sahel, a region 3,860km wide located south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east-west across the African continent, has been a focus of attention around the world recently.

In the last decade, issues such as terrorism, insecurity and trafficking have characterised the region …


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Civilian support for military coups is rising in parts of Africa: why the reasons matter

Posted on Mon 04 September 2023 in Africa • Tagged with Military Coups, Coups, Insecurity, Mali, Chad, Niger, Gabon, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sudan, AU, African Union, ECOWAS

The clamour for coups among citizens is rising. Wikimedia Commons

Carlos García Rivero, Universitat de València

On the night of 13 January 1963, Togo’s President Sylvanus Olympio was shot dead by rebels in the first military coup staged in Africa. A long list, as shown below, was to come …


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