Arable land in the fast-growing country shrank nearly 50 percent per ... the place that geographers refer to as the Sahara-Sahel stretches across Africa between the desert and the great savanna.

He says the West still has comparative advantages in the Sahel countries, which it can leverage for future dealings, such as linguistic, cultural, and historical connections, Abba adds.

"There has been too much confusion and misunderstanding: There is no question of stopping exchanges with artists or with cultural venues, museums, festivals, theaters in these countries," French ...

The three Sahel countries are in the hands of military putschists, and diplomatic ties with France have become strained. However, Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak has sought to reassure ...

Canada will maintain its embassies and aid programs in the coup-plagued Sahel region of West Africa, even as several other Western countries pull their diplomats out, the federal government says.