Editorial: Le Monde

• The series of coups in the Sahel since 2020, which brought anti-French military leadership to power in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, were initially interpreted as a desire to break ties with the former colonial power, France.
• The United States, seeking to avoid a similar fate to that of France's, maintained its embassy in Niamey despite the military coup.
• The recent rebuff by the Nigerian junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, of American soldiers, and increased military cooperation between Niger and Moscow, marks a real shift in Sahel alliances.
• These actions signal a decline in Western influence, especially that of the United States and France, in West Africa.

Conclusion: Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are showing an increasing break from historical dependency on Western powers, signalling a significant geopolitical shift in West Africa.

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