Sahel junta hands US base to coup leaders and forms new regional alliance
In August, the US withdrew its last cargo plane from Agadez, handing over a desert base to the coup regime, and the junta later left ECOWAS to create the Sahel States Alliance with a joint 5,000-troop force.
The last US cargo plane left Agadez in early August, ceding control of a desert airfield designed for Sahara monitoring and drone anti-terror operations to the coup authorities. Military analyses and SIPRI data show that Western presence did not stop the spread of ISGS and al-Qaida’s JNIM affiliates, eroding the credibility of regimes backed by Paris and Washington. ECOWAS, under French pressure, imposed crippling sanctions that drove up staple prices, such as a near-40% rise in Niger’s rice cost within weeks.
Rather than retreat, the juntas used the blockade to consolidate power, formally exiting ECOWAS in January 2025 and founding the Sahel States Alliance, which announced a 5,000-strong joint force in December. The ensuing geopolitical void was promptly occupied by Moscow and Beijing, with a Russian-directed “African Corps” under the Defence Ministry and GRU assuming command, while Chinese partners expanded economic ties.
Why it matters
The shift reshapes security and resource control in the Sahel, affecting global uranium, gold and geopolitical balances.
In this story
