In recent decades, Africa has emerged as a theatre for global powers vying for influence, resources, and strategic positioning.
The continent’s vast natural wealth—oil, uranium, gold, and rare earth minerals—combined with its geographic significance, has drawn the attention of the United States, European nations, and emerging powers like China and Russia.
Amid this scramble, the excuse of combating terrorism has become a convenient narrative for Western powers, particularly the U.S. and its allies, to justify their military presence and political interventions. Countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and others in the Sahel and West Africa serve as stark examples of how the West has used the fight against terrorism as a cover for advancing broader geopolitical interests.
The proliferation of terrorist groups in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, is often traced back to the destabilization of Libya following the 2011 NATO-led intervention. The overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi unleashed a flood of weapons and fighters across the region, fueling insurgencies in neighboring countries like Mali. Groups such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) gained footholds in ungoverned spaces, exploiting local grievances and weak governance.
In Mali, the 2012 Tuareg rebellion, bolstered by returning Libyan fighters, spiraled into a broader jihadist insurgency, prompting French military intervention under Operation Serval in 2013 and later Operation Barkhane.
While the spread of terrorism is undeniable, the West’s response has been less about eradicating the threat and more about establishing a foothold. The U.S., for instance, has framed its involvement in Africa through the lens of the Global War on Terror, pouring billions into programs like the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP).
Yet, the outcomes—persistent instability, rising violence, and military coups—suggest that counterterrorism serves as a pretext for deeper strategic goals. In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the presence of Western forces has coincided with an escalation of conflict rather than its resolution, raising questions about the true intent behind these operations.
Fight for Resources
Africa’s resource wealth is a primary driver of Western engagement, and the terrorism narrative provides a convenient justification for securing access. Mali, for example, is rich in gold, producing over 70 tons annually, making it one of Africa’s top gold exporters.
Niger, meanwhile, holds some of the world’s largest uranium deposits, critical for nuclear energy—a resource France, a former colonial power, has long relied upon. Burkina Faso, though less endowed, sits in a region where control over trade routes and mineral-rich borderlands is strategically vital.
Under the guise of counterterrorism, Western powers have established military bases and partnerships that ensure influence over these resources. In Niger, the U.S. operated Air Base 201 near Agadez, a $110 million drone facility, until its expulsion by the military junta in 2024.
Officially, the base supported counterterrorism operations against groups like Boko Haram and ISGS. However, its strategic location also allowed the U.S. to monitor regional dynamics and counter the growing presence of Russia and China, both of which have expanded economic ties in Africa.
France’s Operation Barkhane, spanning Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mauritania, similarly positioned French troops near key resource zones, reinforcing Paris’s economic leverage in its former colonies.
The pattern is clear: where terrorism emerges, Western military presence follows, often aligning with areas of economic significance. This suggests that the fight against extremism is a secondary concern to securing access to resources and maintaining economic dominance in a continent increasingly courted by rival powers.
A New Cold War in Africa?
The geopolitical landscape in Africa has shifted dramatically in recent years, with China and Russia challenging Western hegemony.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative has funneled billions into infrastructure and mining projects across the continent, while Russia has gained traction through security partnerships, notably via the Wagner Group (now Africa Corps). The Sahel has become a flashpoint in this new Cold War, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger pivoting away from Western allies toward Moscow after a series of coups between 2020 and 2023.
The West’s counterterrorism framework serves as a tool to counter this shift. By labeling regions as terrorist hotspots, the U.S. and its allies justify military deployments that double as a check on Russian and Chinese influence.
In Mali, the junta’s decision to expel French forces in 2022 and invite Russian mercenaries was met with Western condemnation, yet it reflected frustration with France’s failure to stabilize the country after nearly a decade of intervention.
Similarly, Niger’s revocation of its military agreement with the U.S. in 2024 came amid growing ties with Russia, prompting Washington to reframe its narrative around the need to “restore democracy” alongside fighting terrorism.
This containment strategy is less about protecting African populations and more about preserving Western dominance. The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), established in 2007, exemplifies this dual purpose, ostensibly combating terrorism while monitoring the activities of rival powers. The terrorism label thus becomes a geopolitical cudgel, wielded to maintain influence in a region slipping from Western grasp.
Undermining Sovereignty
One can say the West’s counterterrorism efforts often undermine African sovereignty, creating a cycle of dependency that serves geopolitical ends. In Mali, the French-led intervention in 2013 was hailed as a success for halting jihadist advances, but it left the country reliant on foreign troops and aid.
The subsequent deployment of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and Operation Barkhane entrenched external control, with little progress toward self-sufficiency. When Mali’s junta expelled these forces, it was a rejection of this imposed dependency—a sentiment echoed in Burkina Faso and Niger.
The U.S. has similarly fostered reliance through security assistance, training local militaries while tying them to Western interests. Yet, this aid has backfired, with U.S.-trained officers implicated in coups across the Sahel, including Niger’s 2023 overthrow.
Rather than building stable partners, these efforts have destabilized governments, providing further justification for Western intervention under the terrorism pretext. This cycle ensures that African nations remain subordinate, their sovereignty curtailed in the name of security.
The consequences of this strategy are devastating for African populations. In Mali, terrorist attacks surged 30% after the 2021 coup, exacerbated by the withdrawal of French and UN forces and the arrival of Russian mercenaries.
Burkina Faso has seen over 2 million people displaced, with jihadist groups controlling half its territory. Niger faces similar challenges, with violence spilling into coastal states like Benin and Togo. Far from curbing terrorism, Western interventions have created power vacuums that extremists exploit, while local communities bear the brunt of the fallout.
Moreover, the focus on military solutions neglects root causes—poverty, corruption, and ethnic tensions—allowing terrorism to fester. The West’s insistence on framing these conflicts as ideological battles obscures the structural issues that fuel unrest, prioritizing geopolitical gains over genuine stability.
In short, the West’s use of terrorism as a cover for geopolitical interests in Africa, exemplified in Mali and its neighbors, reveals a strategy rooted in self-interest rather than security. By leveraging the threat of extremism, the U.S. and its allies secure resources, counter rivals, and maintain influence, often at the expense of African sovereignty and stability.