The Sahel, explained: juntas, Russia and the new map after the French exit

Three coups, one withdrawal and a realignment that reaches all the way to Tunisia's southern border

Over five years, military governments took power in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, broke with the former colonial power France and pushed its troops out. The three then formed their own bloc and turned toward Russia for security and arms. The region that results is poorer, more violent and far more closed to Western influence than the one before it.

For North Africa the Sahel is close to home. It is the source of much of the migration that moves north through Libya and Tunisia, and the arena where Algeria and Morocco now compete hardest for influence. A drone incident soured Algeria's ties with Mali, while Morocco courts the same capitals with offers of access to the sea.

Understanding the Sahel means holding several things at once: jihadist violence, the collapse of the old French order, great power competition and a young population with few prospects. It is the hinge on which much of Tunisia's neighbourhood now turns.