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2023-08-11 Africa North
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'This is too much!' Macron was furious when he learned about the coup in Niger
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Olesya Orlenko
[REGNUM] The coup d'état in the Republic of the Niger is not a new development in the Sahel region. However, it has become one of the most discussed topics in the world and in France for several reasons. First, it happened at the most inconvenient time, when almost all the major actors in Western politics are involved in almost a direct clash with Russia in Ukraine. Secondly, the importance of this country - the last outpost of the forces involved in the anti-terrorist operation "Barkhan" - can hardly be overestimated. Finally, the events that took place led to a discussion of a number of topics that are unpleasant for the powers that dispute their influence in this territory: how the preparations for the putsch missed the representatives of the US and French intelligence; where did the anti-French sentiment among the inhabitants of Niger come from; what are the reasons for the decline of French influence in her former colonial possessions?
Continued from Page 2
UKRAINE FADED INTO THE BACKGROUND
On July 26, a military group announced the detention and removal of President Mohamed Bazum, the suspension of all institutions of the VII Republic, and the imposition of a curfew. The reaction from the world community followed almost instantly.
The Economic Community of West African States (Cedeao/ECOWAS), which includes Niger, strongly condemned this "attempt to take power by force" and demanded the immediate release of the "democratically elected" Bazum "without any conditions."
French President Emmanuel Macron , who was in Papua New Guinea at the time of the coup, called the actions of the putschists illegal and dangerous for Nigerians and residents of the entire region. He also announced the immediate suspension of all payments for the development of the country to the budget of Niger.
The head of US diplomacy, Anthony Blinken, expressed his country's full support for the ousted president on behalf of his country. He was joined by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
We can say that this topic has somewhat overshadowed the Ukrainian agenda in the French media. It was discussed which side the Nigerian military is on, whether the Cedeao/ECOWAS countries will send troops to Niger, whether it will be possible to influence the new authorities, what will be the process of evacuating French citizens.
Immediately upon arrival from the trip, Macron called an emergency meeting of the security council. The publication le Сanard enchaîné reports that the president was furious at the work of the General Directorate of External Security (DSGE), whose employees were part of the French military contingent in Niger as part of Operation Barkhane: "Niger after Mali is already too much . "
THE US ALSO SUFFERED
However, it was not only France that was defeated in this story. One of the leaders of the coup d'état, General Moussa Salau Barmu , who was appointed by the putschists as the head of the General Staff, and before that he headed the country's special services, studied at the most prestigious US military institutions for more than 30 years.
| Yes, yes — a favourite claim of anti-Americans at home as well as abroad. But as has been repeatedly pointed out at Rantburg, those who study there are chosen by their governments and their armies, not by us. And as not even the mighty American military can read the future, the fact thatwe did notinow General Barmu would revolt a decade or several in the future is not actually a point of blame. |
In 2004, he was appointed commander of the first special unit to combat Islamists and jihadists. He became a key link in the American commando training system from local security forces. Speaking of the 1990s, when the Islamists tried to infiltrate and settle in Niger, Barmu recalled last November: “Some preferred to ignore this problem, some tried to negotiate with the terrorists […] In Niger, we decided not to give in one iota.” At the same time, he emphasized the important role that partnership with the United States plays for his country.
Barmu maintained friendly relations with representatives of the US Embassy responsible for special operations in the region. He also demonstrated his pro-American sympathies and anti-French position. A few weeks before the coup, the US military released a photo of him with US Special Operations Commander Jonathan Braga at a base in Niamey.
Now the general refrains from commenting and only reservedly answered the question of the Wall Street Journal about whether he understands that relations with the United States will worsen after the putsch. “This is the price to be paid,” he said. Nevertheless, the US military still hopes for Barma's mediation in establishing contacts with the putschists. And it was with him that Victoria Nuland met during her brief and fruitless visit to Niger on 7 August.
AGAIN FOUND THE “KREMLIN CAMPAIGN”
The coup, which happened suddenly for the French, forced the public to discuss its origins and causes. Many recall Macron's promises to revive the Francafrique association - the French-speaking countries of Africa, which serves as an occasion to speculate about another failure of the current president's policy.
But it can’t do without the “beloved enemy” - Russia. For example, the publication Le Monde repeatedly reminded its readers about the information campaign to denigrate France, "deployed by the Kremlin." Among the agents of influence are the media resources of the Wagner group, as well as journalists and bloggers who remind the inhabitants of African countries about the help of the USSR in the struggle of their peoples for independence.
The newspaper also talks about videos distributed on social networks, telling, in particular, how helping the starving Africa became an instrument of Western powers in negotiations on a grain deal, after which almost all the grain settled in Europe. According to the newspaper, the work of such accounts is closely monitored by journalists, and the Meta company (recognized as extremist in Russia) actively blocks them as part of the “fight against disinformation.”
GROWING PRO-RUSSIAN SENTIMENT
However, representatives of the scientific and intellectual community of France and French-speaking Africa see the reasons for what is happening, rather, in the destabilization of the situation in the region and the peculiarities of the foreign policy line in this direction.
Thus, the Cameroonian historian Achille Mbembe believes that now we are witnessing the onset of a new era both in the world and, in particular, in Africa. In his opinion, the colonial practices of France's interaction with newly independent African countries led to the discrediting of the concept of democracy. And this, in turn, formed the idea that problems can only be solved by force.
Azamat Boukari-Yabara, a historian from Benin, says that anti-French sentiment in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Algeria and other countries is also due to the role of France in the overthrow of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, which turned out to be a disaster for both Libya and the entire region. He also recalls the words of Emmanuel Macron, said in 2017, about what, in his opinion, hinders the full development of African countries: “In a country where a woman has seven to eight children, you can invest billions of euros, but get nothing ». Such a humiliating attitude, according to the historian, the younger generation understands very well.
And the researcher Camille Lefebvre says that the French are extremely little interested in African countries. To such an extent that few of her compatriots will immediately find Niger on a geographical map. At the same time, she thinks, French experts do not consider it necessary to improve their knowledge about the countries that were formerly French colonies. And even now, during the coup d'etat, journalists are only interested in the return of French citizens and the fate of French uranium mining enterprises. Paradoxically, says Camille Lefebvre, since since 2014 the level of knowledge of the French about Ukraine has grown exponentially and has reached very high levels.
I would like to think that while talk about a military invasion of Niger will not result in concrete actions. Mali and Burkina Faso promised to support the new government of the country in case of aggression from outside. The United States and France are concerned about the growth of pro-Russian sentiment in the Sahel region and are afraid that now representatives of the Wagner PMC will get a foothold in Niger.
However, for the moment, members of Cedeao/ECOWAS, neighboring major powers such as Algeria, as well as countries in Europe and the United States, say that the diplomatic path is the only possible one. On August 10, the capital of Nigeria, which chairs the Economic Community of West African States, will host the second summit on the situation in Niger.
In conclusion, I would like to look at some numbers. In 2022, the French Development Agency transferred 120 million euros to Niger, a country with a population of more than 25 million people, to support various domestic government programs. In the same year, France spent 634 million euros just to receive 115,000 Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, Niger is a country where the official language is French, with which France has a long history and where 10% of the fuel for French nuclear power plants is produced .
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Posted by badanov 2023-08-11 00:00||
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