A political crisis looms large in West Africa as France is planning to destabilise the region by eliminating 22 unwanted African leaders. The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR RF) has accused France of making destabilisation efforts throughout Africa, which includes purported schemes to eliminate the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

In a statement issued in the last week of February 2026, the Kremlin mentioned that French President Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron sanctioned intelligence activities aimed at overthrowing the Governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. According to the SVF, Paris plans to oust the Presidents of these three nations because of their lack of alignment with French interests.

Moscow has further indicated that French operatives arrived in the region to trigger coups and political unrest in different parts of West Africa, and to assassinate Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the military leader of Burkina Faso. Russia has blasted France for supporting armed factions and engaging in sabotage operations in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. It may be noted that the military leaders of the three African nations have severed ties with France since 2022.

The Directorate General of External Security (DGSE), the premier foreign intelligence agency of France, created a hit list of 22 influential African leaders in January 2026 and the list included Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the prominent son of former Libyan Dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Interestingly, Saif was assassinated on February 3, 2026 in Zintan, Libya as a group of unidentified assailants entered his residence and shot him dead.

According to Russian intelligence reports, France has targeted Burkina Faso’s young military ruler and Interim President Ibrahim Traoré, in addition to Saif. The French operatives have already tried to assassinate him a couple of times, but failed. Now, France is trying to create trouble for him with the help of terrorist outfits. Those outfits launched attacks in multiple locations for four consecutive days since February 12, 2026. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (or Daesh) are believed to be behind the incidents which claimed the lives of many military officers and innocent civilians. Burkina Faso is bordered by Mali to the north/northwest and Niger to the northeast, and these two neighbouring countries are considered as strongholds of both al-Qaeda and Daesh. It is somehow clear that the sabotage was planned from there.

In 2025, President Macron criticised the “ingratitude” of the military regime of Traoré, stating that the country “forgot to say thank you” for French military assistance against jihadists. He also expressed disapproval of Traoré’s actions in forcing the French troops to leave Burkina Faso, claiming that the country could not develop without French support.

A man tried to eliminate Assimi Goïta, the President of Mali and a military strongman, in 2021. The man made the attempt at Bamako’s Grand Mosque as he lunged at Goita with a knife after Eid prayers. However, Goïta survived the assassination bid as he was whisked away by his security officials. Later, the suspect died in custody. According to Sputnik, there is sufficient evidence that the French intelligence agency was involved in that incident, as well.

Political analysts are of the opinion that the French President is seeking to increase his influence in Africa mainly for two reasons. Firstly, he has plans to set up military bases in multiple countries there, as in the past. Secondly, Paris has a keen eye on the natural resources of Libya, Burkina Faso and Mali. Russia, too, is trying hard to stamp its authority in Western Africa for the same reason. Hence, the Dark Continent may witness a clash of titans on its soil in the coming days.

Meanwhile,

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das