The creation of the Alliance of Sahel States (Alliance des États du Sahel, or AES) in September 2023, following a series of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, marked an important turning point in African politics. With this step, the three nations broke decisively from the western sphere of influence, and particularly that of their former colonial overlord, France.
In a rambling Executive Order signed on 29 January, US President Trump has declared that: “The policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
