Africa / AES: The hidden face of Western military bases

The African continent boasts an exceptionally rich subsoil with diverse extractive resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons, and water. Despite this abundance, these resources remain largely untapped and undervalued.

Africa boasts over sixty different types of minerals, constituting one-third of the world’s mineral reserves.

Many of these resources are crucial for manufacturing a wide range of products in developed nations.

It is a well-known fact that regions facing terrorism often coincide with areas rich in mineral and energy resources.

 This has led to a rush by foreign powers, often through military interventions, in areas identified as resource-rich (including rare and strategic metals, oil, gas, uranium, and hydrogen), under the guise of counterterrorism efforts.

This trend is visible across the continent, where a significant military presence often leads to an escalation in terrorist activities.

Certain African regions, such as those in the Sahel Alliance, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Gulf of Guinea, are termed “geological scandal zones” due to their substantial concentrations of hydrocarbon deposits and various minerals.

For instance, in the Sahel Alliance countries (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), foreign military bases, whether French or American in Niger, serve purposes beyond counterterrorism; they also conduct exploratory investigations in these crisis-prone nations. This creates a narrative where instability justifies continued foreign presence.

It is evident that certain neocolonial powers, leveraging advanced satellite technologies, have identified these invaluable extractive resources.

As a result, they are hesitant to leave the Sahel voluntarily, fearing missed opportunities to exploit these abundant and strategic resources.

The Sahel’s subsoil resources are thus central to significant geostrategic interests, directly affecting the independence and sovereignty of both producer and consumer nations.

The Sahel Alliance has recognized these challenges and is determined to sever ties with deceptive and exploitative neocolonial powers.

These powers often manipulate agreements with compliant leaders to maintain control, disregarding the interests and sovereignty of African nations.

Papa IBRAHIMA