The last French fortress in Africa conquered.
The coup-prone continent of Africa has once again become the platform for a new coup, whose developments seem to go beyond a coup and a kind of resistance against French rule. The country of Niger is experiencing a political coup by its army for the fifth time since its independence. But the question is, are the recent events in Niger just a traditional coup or a political action against imperialism? In other words, what is the difference between the current Niger coup and previous events?
To answer this question, the angles of recent developments in Niger should be examined, and there are three points in this regard:
The first is that Niger’s army, which has taken over the government through a coup, is against the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the governments of other countries that propose military intervention in Niger. Instead of setting a specific time to re-implement the constitution and return the “arm” of the president of this country to his position, the army seems to have based its policy on confronting ECOWAS and other governments opposed to the coup, to the extent that the Niger army has announced that every It considers the type of military intervention of ECOWAS as an attack on Niger and will give a military response to it. Although ECOWAS is trying to prevent Niger’s army from advancing in the internal politics of this country by imposing sanctions, on the other hand, countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, and Guinea have expressed their opposition to ECOWAS’ intervention in Niger’s internal affairs. Of course, this type of reaction is not only within the African continent but outside the continent from other countries, especially from Russia.
Conquest of the last fortress of France
But the second and most crucial issue in the Niger story is the end of French domination in West Africa. West African countries were former French colonies; An interesting point is that previously the withdrawal of French troops from Mali was considered a failure in public opinion, just like the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, and now the end of this country’s presence in its last stronghold, Niger, is also considered the beginning of the political failure of Paris in Africa.
The fact is that although the French government apparently ended its imperialist policy after the independence of Niger, the effects of modern colonialism have always been visible in this country. For example, the French government was training people who could take over the governance of Niger in the future and be able to practice politics according to the wishes of Paris. The use of the franc currency or the monitoring and exploitation of the uranium mine of this country by France was only a part of the neo-colonial policy of Paris.
Of course, the conditions in Niger are not only to the detriment of the French government but also affect the needs of Western countries, especially America; The Mali and Burkina Faso coups and the desire of these countries to cooperate with Russia made the country of Niger more critical for the United States, for this reason, according to many experts, the recent developments in Niger are actually considered a coup against the interests of Washington.
But the third case goes back to the desire of the military government and a part of the Niger society to develop relations with Russia. As mentioned, although the colonial era ended many years ago, the current socio-economic picture in some African countries indicates the continuation of colonialism, but in a more modern form. In other words, the neo-colonial era is living; Especially, the rulers and elites of African countries have close relations with former colonial countries like France and exploit these relations.
Therefore, a part of the profits and prosperity resulting from bilateral agreements and cooperation is not distributed among the society, but remains in the hands of the elite and the rulers of the country, for this reason, the opposition of the supporters of the coup plotters to the president of this country can be attributed to the unfair distribution of wealth and income in the society and the relationship These rulers interpreted with countries against Niger. For this reason, it is not unusual to lose heart from the West and to be inclined towards Russia or China. Of course, it should be said that Russia has always sought to develop relations with African governments, while at the Russia-Africa summit held in Saint Petersburg in July 2023, the leaders of Burkina Faso and Mali announced their support for Russia and Moscow’s operation in Ukraine.
Result
According to the recent developments in West Africa and the presence of Russia and the West in these countries, it seems that after the war between Ukraine and Russia, the African continent will become a bed of tension and political conflicts between the top powers, just like the North Pole. On the other hand, apart from the importance of Niger’s natural resources, another issue that has made this country important for Western governments is the geographical features of this country; In fact, the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline is considered as a platform for transferring gas to Europe, which starts from Nigeria and after passing through Niger, it reaches Algeria and then it is transferred to European countries.
In the framework of the mentioned project, the transfer of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to European markets is considered, and because Europe intends to reduce its energy dependence on Russia through this project, there is a possibility of Russian influence in this country and developments. Recent events in Niger have a negative impact on this project. With all these interpretations, it seems that some African countries are seeking cooperation and close relations with Russia and then China in order to confront Western rule, but we have to wait and see what direction Niger’s developments will take in the coming days.
