Geopolitics and Resilience
2026-04-26
11 minute read
24 sources
Sahel coup belt 2026: AES sovereignty, Russian displacement of France, and the gold and uranium recoupling
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have exited ECOWAS, signed a confederal pact, and replaced French and US security architecture with Russia's Africa Corps. The 2025 to 2026 mining renegotiation cycle, with Barrick, Orano, Resolute, and Endeavour all under pressure, is the operating story for sovereign creditors and miners.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), formalized as a confederation at the Niamey summit on July 6, 2024, withdrew from ECOWAS effective January 29, 2025, after a one year notice period. Mali (Goita, Aug 2020 and May 2021), Burkina Faso (Damiba in Jan 2022, Traore in Sep 2022), and Niger (Tchiani, Jul 26, 2023) now operate a mutual defense ...