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One year after a military coup, Niger is cementing its alliance with Russia, forcing the final withdrawal of U.S. troops and dismantling a key pillar of Western counter-terrorism strategy in Africa's Sahel region. This geopolitical pivot creates a security vacuum, threatening to fuel extremist violence and destabilize neighbouring countries. For Canada, the shift jeopardizes decades of investment in humanitarian aid and democratic development, complicates the operating environment for Canadian businesses in West Africa, and represents a significant setback for its foreign policy objectives in a continent increasingly contested by global powers.