Foreign policy of the United States and France in the Sahel countries: contemporary aspect

The primary purpose of the study is to identify the peculiarities of the evolution of US and French foreign policy in the Sahel region from the 1990s to the present. The subject seems to be quite relevant because of its direct importance for understanding the current geopolitical processes in the Sahel region, which is one of the most complex and unstable regions in the world. Despite the availability of studies by both domestic and foreign authors that touch on various aspects of the foreign policy of the United States and France in the Sahel, a specialized, holistic scientific approach to the comprehensive study of their interaction in this region has not yet been formed. Given the growing terrorist threat, socio-economic problems, and international aggravations, such as Russia's war against Ukraine and the contradictions in the Gaza Strip, studying the actions of these global players is important for the international scientific community. The practical relevance lies in studying the foreign policy aspects of France and the United States in the Sahel region and using their experience to strengthen the position of Ukrainian diplomacy in the region. Two main methods were used to analyze the research subject, such as case and event analysis. Both methods made it possible to consider the key features of the problem and provide its abbreviated description. In this paper, an attempt was made to track the fluctuations in the foreign policy of the State Department and the Quai d'Orsay department associated with the permanent instability of this African region and the geopolitical challenges that shake our planet.