A French soldier speaks with his Malian counterpart on the banks of the Niger River outside Gao in northern Mali. French troops have begun to withdraw from the Sahel region.
Human rights lawyer and prominent Pan-African political activist Advocate Gabriel Shumba says France retains substantial strategic interests in Africa, particularly the Sahel, despite the withdrawal of French troops from several countries.
In an exclusive interview with CAJ News Africa, Shumba identified intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism operations, rapid military deployment, protection of French nationals and interests, migration, trade routes and access to strategic resources such as Niger’s uranium as key reasons the region remains important to Paris.
Geography further enhances the Sahel’s significance.
Stretching along the southern edge of the Sahara, the region connects West Africa with North Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.
