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Interim Burkina Faso leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore pledged large-scale joint military operations against armed groups across the Sahel in the coming days in his new role as head of the Alliance of Sahel States, Al Jazeera reported Dec. 24.

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Announce Large-scale Counterterrorism Operations

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A Nigerien military airstrike reportedly hit the village of Kourfeye in the Tillaberi region, killing at least 40 civilians at a weekly market, RFI reported on Sept. 25.

Niger: Army Kills 40 Civilians Amid Reports of Turkish Forces Set To Train Nigerien Troops

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Nigerien authorities announced that they would nationalize uranium mining company SOMAIR, a subsidiary of France's state-owned Orano that owns the country's only operating uranium mine, Reuters reported on June 20. 

Niger: Junta To Nationalize Subsidiary of France's Orano 

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The U.S. State Department issued a memo giving 36 countries 60 days to meet new department requirements or be added to a travel ban implemented on June 9, The Washington Post reported on June 14.

U.S.: Trump Administration Considers Adding 36 More Countries to Travel Ban

A mutiny broke out at a Nigerien military garrison based in Termit, a remote desert area in northeastern Niger, after hundreds of angry soldiers denounced chronic malnutrition, lack of adequate equipment, and delays in the payment of salaries and bonuses, citing the deterioration of their living conditions, Radio France Internationale reported on May 13.

Niger: Soldiers Mutiny in Northeastern Termit Camp, U.S Ambassador Presents Credentials to Junta Leader

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Russia's plans to further support the junta governments in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso by training troops, providing military equipment and assisting in the creation of a joint armed force, Bloomberg reported April 3.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Russia To Increase Military Support to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso

Niger announced its withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force, or MNJTF, a coalition established in 2015 to combat militant groups in the Lake Chad basin, Radio France Internationale reported on March 31. 

Niger: Government Announces Withdrawal From Regional Joint Force

Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, the leader of the military junta in Niger, was sworn in as president for a five-year transition period following the country's coup in July 2023, Jeune Afrique reported on March 26.

Niger: Junta Sets Out Five-Year Transition to Constitutional Rule

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As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

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Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) drive in pick-ups during training at the Sector 3 MNJTF military base headquarters in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. 

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

Armed groups will continue to expand across Nigeria as the government struggles with domestic constraints and limits on regional security cooperation.

In Nigeria, Security Forces Struggle To Address Growing Militancy

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A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

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Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environmental conditions in the Sahel are likely to worsen due to desertification, rapid population growth and political instability. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

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What are Niger's security options going forward?

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for Niger's Security Landscape

Mohamed Toumba (R), one of the generals who ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, and military junta spokesperson Amadou Abdramane (L) look on in Niamey, Niger, on Sept. 4, 2023. 

As U.S. troops likely prepare to leave Niger, alternative partners ready themselves to fill the void.

What's Next for Niger After the Termination of Defense Cooperation With the U.S.?

A staff member walks past a stage before a press conference at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, on Feb. 27, 2023. 

The exit will worsen all three countries' economic outlook, especially if they decide to also leave the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which would likely fuel jihadist activity in the Sahel.

What Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso's Exit From ECOWAS Means for West Africa

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In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

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A general view of a military crest of the French army in Niamey, Niger, on July 15, 2022.

French and U.N. troop withdrawals from the Sahel will open the door to jihadist attacks and external actors.

The Sahel's Security Environment Amid French and U.N. Troop Withdrawals

Snapshots

Protesters in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, wave Russian and Burkinabe flags on Oct. 4, 2022. 

Many of the drivers that led to the recent coups in the Sahel are present in other African countries, granting Russian-sponsored influence operations more inroads.

Africa's Instability Creates Fertile Ground for Russian Disinformation

Niger is a landlocked Sahelian state in West Africa that is surrounded by Algeria and Libya to the north, Chad to the east, Nigeria and Benin to the South and Burkina Faso and Mali to the west.     Niger's greatest geographic challenge is its landlocked status in the Sahel, the transition zone between the Sahara Desert and the savannahs of West Africa. Niger's lack of immediate coastal access and the global markets beyond increases the cost of imports and exports there. Moreover, it forces the country to rely on costly or lacking infrastructure and to manage relations with neighboring countries carefully to ensure its trade opportunities are not cut off.    The Sahel region has often been home to significant instability. Mali, Niger's neighbor to the west, remains the epicenter of regional militancy thanks to its weak government, internal tensions and a host of other issues. Niger, for its part, has also experienced cycles of rebellion but has largely maintained a somewhat stable, if weak and porous, security environment in recent years.     Niger's geographic position in the impoverished and unstable Sahel has done it no favors regarding infrastructure or economic development. In the years ahead, rapid population growth and strained resources will become even more pressing, causing Niger to struggle as it grapples with these problems for the foreseeable future. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Announce Large-scale Counterterrorism Operations

Niger: Army Kills 40 Civilians Amid Reports of Turkish Forces Set To Train Nigerien Troops

Niger: Junta To Nationalize Subsidiary of France's Orano

U.S.: Trump Administration Considers Adding 36 More Countries to Travel Ban

Niger: Soldiers Mutiny in Northeastern Termit Camp, U.S Ambassador Presents Credentials to Junta Leader

Sub-Saharan Africa: Russia To Increase Military Support to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso

Niger: Government Announces Withdrawal From Regional Joint Force

Niger: Junta Sets Out Five-Year Transition to Constitutional Rule

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