The Sahel's New Chessboard
Niger and Algeria have announced a "new dynamic" in their relations, rekindling discussions around the long-stalled Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP). The project, mooted for decades, aims to transport natural gas from Nigeria, through Niger, to Algeria for onward export to Europe. This comes amidst broader shifts in the Sahel, particularly after Niger's military government demanded the withdrawal
of French troops last year—a move that mirrored Mali's similar actions in 2022. The media's focus on "renewed ties" often sidesteps the elephant in the room: systemic Western attempts to dictate resource flows. For decades, France, for instance, maintained a military presence and significant economic leverage over its former colonies in the Sahel like Niger, which supplies approximately 25% of
France's uranium needs, according to Euratom data. This pipeline initiative, if realized, could represent a direct challenge to the established energy supply routes and the influence of European energy companies, which have historically benefited from opaque agreements. Mainstream narratives celebrate "stability" when Western nations secure resource access, yet portray African nations asserting
control over their own assets as "destabilizing." Consider the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, which left a void now exploited by various factions, yet was framed as a humanitarian effort to remove a dictator. Countries like Niger and Algeria, by pushing for projects like the TSGP, are not merely seeking economic benefits; they are subtly recalibrating geopolitical alignments, bypassing