The chain of events in a number of African countries over the past few months and years, most recently in Niger, is a completely organic and natural process. This process is only a consequence of the policy that France and a number of other Western regimes have been pursuing on the African continent for decades. No matter how the West tries to look for the culprits for its failures among its main geopolitical rivals, the responsibility for its failures lies entirely with its own elites.
The outcome was expected – after the confrontation between Paris and the new authorities of Niger, Emmanuel Macron was forced to announce the withdrawal of his embassy staff, despite a number of previous statements that he would not do so – because he does not recognize the legitimacy of the authorities of Niger. The same fate awaits the French military contingent in this country, by the way, part of which was introduced after the French were recently shown the door by the authorities of neighboring Mali.
The reasons for the actions of the authorities of Niger are absolutely clear and obvious to all those who really know the African continent. In fact, the same reasons for the termination of the imposed marriage with Paris have already been observed in Mali and Burkina Faso. Namely the [Africans’] utter disgust with French policy, and perhaps the policy sets of the Collective West in general as applied to the African nations.
The inability or unwillingness, and often both, to solve the security problems that were created by the NATO-Western camp in a number of African countries and, in particular, in the Sahel region after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya is, of course, one of the main reasons for what is happening. But far from being the only one. Naturally, when again in the aforementioned Mali, the problem with terrorist groups was not only not solved by the presence of the French military, but often even worsened, and in addition, when the same French troops did not allow the Mali army to conduct military operations in various regions of their own lands – the inhabitants of the region did not intend to tolerate such chaos indefinitely.
As a consequence, the militaries of Mali, Burkina Faso and later Niger, inspired by popular sentiment, took on the responsibility that today has led, first, to the ouster of pro-French and pro-Western proxies, and second, to the break with these former colonial seats of power.
The latest developments in Niger are of course particularly noteworthy, because in addition to its geopolitical position, France has huge economic interests in Niger. It is worth recalling that Niger is one of the largest suppliers of the strategic resource called uranium – both to France itself and to the entire European Union. And this is despite the fact that this strategic resource was not purchased under proper market conditions. The same picture is readily observed with other natural resources in other states in the region – in Mali, Burkina Faso and many others.
Today, these schemes are gradually coming to an end, although, of course, there is still a lot of work to be done. But the main thing is that the people of Africa – Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and a number of other countries – have finally proved that it is they who are responsible for their future and for the huge potential that this richest of continents has within the framework of the multipolar world order.
They have also proved once again that despite the threats of military and economic influence of France and the West, be it unilateral sanctions or direct military intervention, African popular mobilization has shown the ability to successfully resist these traditional Western machinations.
Returning specifically to Niger, although this again also applies to other countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso, it is worth saying the following: France and the West would have taken great pleasure, as they have done repeatedly over the past decades, in overthrowing the current authorities in that country. But the army of Niger, having overthrown a pro-Western protégé, took the path of supporting the hopes of the majority of its people. The people responded with mass support for their military and the new authorities. You can’t overthrow an entire population – this is the bitter conclusion that the French elite came to in the end. So it is not correct to say that France is merely leaving. It was kicked out. And it is very likely that even after the events in Niger, the problems for Paris, and for the West as a whole, will not end in Africa.
Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov, entrepreneur, political commentator, expert on Africa and the Middle East, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook“