NIGER | Coup leaders get popular support from Nigerien people - France No longer welcomed

NIAMEY,  Niger, Sunday, August 13, 2023 - Nigerians who share a common border with Niger, are facing a backlash in response to president Bola Tinubu’s position as Chairman of ECOWAS which has proposed military action against the Coup leaders in Niger as a last resort.

Contrary to the popular perception in the West, the people of Niger are supporting the puschists who overthrew president Barzoum replacing him with a military government. Nigeriens no longer trust the west, namely the French, the United States and Europe.

In Niger, the coup has been positively received by the masses. Only the Taureges and Arabs could be against the junta, however, their number is negligible.  

The population sees the junta leaders as liberators. They also see the deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum as a Western puppet. Generally, Western influence across Africa is waning and the West has itself to blame.

Nigerians and Nigeriens are one people separated only by the borders which were imposed by the Europeans during the infamous Berlin conference of 1884 which partitioned Africa. Over 50% of Nigeriens speak Husa, one of the main languages spokenby their northern neignbours in Nigeria.

According to Joseph Wangija, The 1944 French Colonial Pact gave France a monopoly and perpetual control over her former colonies including Niger. Beneath the desert sands of Niger, lies huge deposits of uranium, a resource that Western powers are craving for two reasons: to generate electricity and of course the mischief of making atomic bombs. 

France earns significantly from the sale of electricity and the uranium looted from Niger contributes significantly to those earnings. France claims they now only obtain 20% of their uranium needs from Niger.  What they do not tell the world, however, is that France has been mining uranium in Niger since 1971. 

Paradoxically, Wangija points out that Niger still imports electricity from Nigeria, while the French colonists, which is willing to support a war in Niger to restore democracy, has failed over the years to set up even a simple power generation plant even from wind or solar to guarantee the Nigeriens a steady power supply.

In addition, it is said that approximately 43% of the people in Niger live on less that US1.90 per day.

It is against this exploitative background that the Nigeriens have welcomed the coup and want to see the backs of the French as quickly as possible.

In the meantime ECOWAS continues to seek a peaceful resolution to the stand-off with a mission to Niamey on Saturday by a delegation of Islamic scholars, who vowed to promote dialogue.

The group’s meeting with military government leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani lasted several hours, said Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, who led the delegation.

“He said their doors were open to explore diplomacy and peace in resolving the matter,” Lau said in a statement on Sunday.

Tchiani reportedly emphasised the historic ties between Niger and Nigeria, saying the countries “were not only neighbours but brothers and sisters who should resolve issues amicably”.

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in an interview with the regional newspaper Var-Matin on Sunday that France fully supports the latest decisions by ECOWAS. Asked if he feared armed intervention in Niger, Lecornu replied: “No.”

 The US and France have more than 2,500 military personnel in the region and together with other European countries have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training Niger’s forces.

Niger has one of the strongest and most battle-hardened military on the continent. It is because of this that they have outperformed their neighbors in combating insurgents; Boko Haram and the Al-Qeade roaming the Sahel desert. 

The July 26 coup is seen as a major blow to many Western nations, which viewed Niger as a partner in the Sahel region that they could work with to beat back a growing uprising by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

On Saturday, Tchiani sent a delegation, led by his defence chief General Moussa Salaou Barmou, to the Guinean capital Conakry to thank leaders there for their support – a sign of the coup leaders’ desire to affirm alliances as they stand up to regional and other powers.

“We are Pan-African. When our people have problems, we are always present, and we will always be there,” Guinea’s interim President Mamady Doumbouya said at the meeting, according to a video shared late on Saturday night by the presidency.

In the footage, Doumbouya – who led a coup in Guinea in September 2021 – did not say whether Conakry’s support for the Niger coup leaders would include military backing if ECOWAS decided to use military force. Mali and Burkina Faso have already said they would help defend Niger.

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CAPTION: Men hold a child dressed in military uniform as they gather with thousands of anti-sanctions protesters in support of putschist soldiers in the capital Niamey, Niger August 3, 2023 [Mahamadou Hamidou/ Reuters]

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