Portraying China’s presence in Africa with flags on maps can distort African states’ sovereignty and their power to make ...

Add to that the fragmentation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the region’s geopolitical map is being redrawn, with consequences that stretch far beyond West Africa.

Russia established a refinery deal with Mali and has increasingly entrenched itself in African partner states-and the region's geopolitics-through mining deals. These relationships will no doubt ...