Niger had been seen as a relatively stable nation in an unstable region. The coup could spark fears in the West that the nation may align interests with Russia and the Wagner Group.
Malians march against the UN peacekeeping force in Bamako in September 2022.
Ousmane Makaveli/AFP via Getty Images
The role of the Wagner Group in the Sudan crisis is not yet clear, but its mercenaries are reported to be involved in a number of African countries.
Burkina Faso servicemen hold portraits during the burial of soldiers killed in an Al-Qaeda attack in Gaskinde in October 2022.
Olympia de Maismont/AFP via Getty Images
The Wagner Group has become a tool to further Russian objectives in Africa without attracting the scrutiny that regular military units would.
Parents of students abducted from Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna State, north-west Nigeria, pray inside the school premises.
Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images
Nicolas Florquin, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID); Alaa Tartir, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID) e Anthony Obayi Onyishi, University of Nigeria
To stem the tide of violent extremism across the Sahel region, especially northwest Nigeria, the vulnerabilities and grudges of border communities need to be properly addressed.
Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images
Labels that emphasise the social identities of the contending parties not only impede efforts to comprehend their causes but also obscure their vast dimensions.
A group of armed Islamists gathered in Gao, northern Mali in 2012. Now such groups are seeking foothold in Togo.
Photo by Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images
Recent attacks on Togo show that West African states must act quickly and decisively to stop the spread of violent extremism.
Aftermath of an attack by suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province in Auno, Borno State, northeast Nigeria.
Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images
International support for Déby and the dependence on Chad’s peacekeeping troops had a downside: it came at the expense of democracy and respect for human rights.
French Marine Special Operation Forces trained Mali’s soldiers under the Task Force Takuba mission.
Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images
Les échecs des gouvernements élus de manière symbolique ont privé les dirigeants – ainsi que le système démocratique – d'une base populaire avant-gardiste.
Some African and European leaders at the last AU-EU summit in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, November 2017.
Philippe Wojazer/AFP via Getty Images
Head of Data & Analytics and Senior Researcher for the Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)
Board Chair, Global EverGreening Alliance & Distinguished Senior Fellow, World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Center for International Forestry Research – World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)
Senior Researcher and Coordinator of the Security Assessment in North Africa project at the Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)