A French report warns of Iran’s infiltration in Africa… Details
After creating space for Al-Qaeda to operate and expand in the region, Iran is attempting to exploit the diminished influence of Western countries in the African Sahel region to strengthen its ties with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
This was warned in a French report, as the French newspaper Le Monde highlighted in a report on Tuesday, referring to what it termed as Tehran’s ‘geostrategic dice throw’ in the Sahel region since a series of coups occurred in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020.
After demanding the departure of French diplomats and soldiers, the existing power’s army is working to form new alliances. In addition to Russia, which has become a key partner for Bamako and Ouagadougou, Iran is also working to enhance its relations with the Sahel countries in a more secretive manner.
Tehran hopes to reduce its isolation on the international stage while continuing its battle against the West, as reported by Erem News citing Le Monde. One recent manifestation of this Iranian diplomatic move in the Sahel region occurred in Mali when the National Transitional Council (the legislative body of the military council) announced the opening of ‘two centers’ in the coming year, namely ‘Iranian University Colleges’ and a ‘Technical and Vocational Center for Information Technology.’
This announcement followed a meeting between the Iranian Ambassador in Bamako, Hussein Taleishi Salehani, and Colonel Malick Diaw, the head of the National Confederation of Labor.
Earlier, Salehani was received in October 2023 by another key figure in the military council, Colonel Sadio Camara, the Minister of Defense. The Mali army stated in a press release that both countries committed during this process to ‘enhance cooperation in defense and security,’ without providing further details.
A few months ago, specifically in August, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian visited Bamako to start his African tour, which later took him to Tanzania.
During his stay in Bamako, Abdollahian, accompanied by representatives from various Iranian ministries and economic actors, attended the first session of the Iran-Mali Joint Financial Cooperation Committee, established after his Malian counterpart, Abdallah Diop, visited Tehran in February 2022.
While in Bamako, Abdollahian adopted the populist language used by the military council, which is under attack from extremist groups. The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized that the ‘Western intervention’ in Africa explains the ‘formation of certain terrorist groups,’ according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
