The Sahel region of Africa has long been a battleground for influence between Paris, Moscow, and Beijing. Today, Israel has entered the arena, no longer a stranger in capitals like Bamako, Niamey, or N’Djamena.
The Sahel states include Senegal, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea. In recent years, security delegations, discreet meetings, and growing talks about agricultural and technological projects have marked the region as a new testing ground for Israeli ambitions.
While Israel once struggled to expand in North Africa—except for Egypt—the 2020 Abraham Accords changed the equation by bringing Morocco into normalization and opening wider doors across the continent. For Israel, success is not only Arab normalization but also extending into the Sahel, rich in natural resources and led by regimes eager for practical partners rather than ideological rhetoric.
Chad illustrates this pragmatism. After the assassination of President Idriss Déby and the rise of his son Mahamat Déby, signs of renewed ties with Israel have grown—though internal opposition remains, particularly amid reports of foreign involvement, including alleged Mossad activity, during the power transition.