Western troops have been expelled from Africa’s Sahel – so why are Italy’s Carabinieri still there?

Africa’s ‘coup belt’ has seen rising anti-Western sentiment.

By: Kaitlyn Rabe, The Ohio State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 16, 2026

Words: 1,379

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Kaitlyn Rabe, The Ohio State University

Western forces have largely beat a hasty retreat from Africa’s coup-prone Sahel region in recent years.

In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako. A United Nations peacekeeping mission also left, with the security void filled by Russian forces. Burkina Faso and Chad followed suit, ordering French troops out in 2023 and 2025, respectively.

But Niger presents a …

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