- ‘The nationalization of resources is key to the narrative of the military-run Sahel countries ... take charge of their countries without what they call Western exploitation,’ says Ulf Laessing, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Sahel program in Mali ISTANBUL   In the heart of Africa’s Sahel region, military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are nationalizing gold mines in a bid to reclaim control over their mineral wealth. The move is part of a broader wave of resource