Failed Foreign Policy of the Biden Administration in the G5 Sahel: Russia’s Return to the Region and its Impact on the US and French Influence in the Sahel Region

Formed in 2014, the G5 Sahel includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. This alliance aims to enhance security and stability in the Sahel region, which connects Northern Africa with the Red Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Despite its rich natural resources, the Sahel remains impoverished and hotbed of terrorism. In the past four years, military takeovers occurred in Mali (2020, 2021), Chad (2021), Burkina Faso (2022), and Niger (2023), attributed to the Biden administration’s failed foreign policy in the region. These coups led to the dismissal of foreign military bases, particularly those of France and the US, with widespread citizen support. Consequently, Russian military forces and mercenaries were welcomed as alternatives, believed to help secure these countries and help them boost their economies. Long-standing relationships with France and the US, dating back to the 1960s, have been strained due to France’s neglect of economic and security needs and the US’s failure to recognize issues rapidly and strategize accordingly. The US either assumed France would stabilize the region as the former colonial power or believed the threat of communism had been defeated. With Russia’s re-entry into the region, the impact on the US and France is significant, potentially influencing the entire Sub-Saharan region.