The West African nation of Niger, a former French colony, faces a tumultuous and unsure future after a coup towards President Mohamed Bazoum by a navy faction against his authorities’s sturdy Western ties, in keeping with specialists.
A gaggle of elite troops from the presidential guards, calling themselves the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), delivered an announcement on Nigerien state tv shortly after detaining Bazoum, claiming they took the step because of the “deteriorating security situation and bad governance.”
Detained by putschists President Bazoum, who was elected in 2021 in Niger’s first democratic energy transition since independence from French in 1960, nevertheless, struck a defiant tone, declaring in a tweet that democracy would prevail within the nation and the folks would defend their “hard-won” democratic positive aspects.
The U.S., U.N., EU, France and others have voiced help for Bazoum, calling for his instant launch, notably since he stays a key ally in a area marred by militancy and insecurity, the place many international locations have turned away from the West because it vies with Russia for affect.
That very battle between Moscow and the West has performed a key function within the unrest, in keeping with Huriye Yıldırım Çinar, an knowledgeable at Turkish assume tank TASAM who focuses on the area.
She stated the coup has been orchestrated by a faction within the navy that opposes the present authorities’s shut ties to the West and the “passivism” of the state.
“After the coups in countries such as Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, these countries built strong partnerships with Russia and distanced themselves from the West, especially France,” Çinar instructed Anadolu.
“At this point, Niger … has emerged as the only country in the region that can be called an ally of the West.”
She stated Niger, a rustic of some 25 million, has a significant function within the West’s wider coverage for sub-Saharan Africa.
“So much so that the U.S. established an air base in the country in 2018. Although it was described as a non-permanent base, over time, this base was enlarged,” stated Çinar.
“On the other hand, Niger is the fourth-richest country in the world in terms of uranium resources. The French nuclear company AREVA has held the right to process uranium resources in Niger for more than 50 years. For this reason, both France and the U.S. attach great importance to Niger.”
Russia-France rivalry
Çinar identified that the coup try was welcomed by distinguished Russian figures akin to Alexander Dugin, a political scientist and thinker believed to have shut ties to the Kremlin.
“If this coup proves successful and a new anti-Western elite comes into power, it is possible that they will develop closer relations with Russia,” she stated.
She stated folks like Dugin have been hailing the coup try as a result of they assume “it would now be possible to pull Niger to their side.”
Another issue within the occasions is the “deep rivalry between France and Russia in West Africa,” she stated.
“This competition can sometimes increase African leaders’ leverage in bilateral relations,” Çinar defined.
She stated French President Emmanuel Macron has “recently paid visits with new offers to African countries where France has lost its influence.”
The present scenario may additionally result in extra safety issues in Africa, in keeping with Çinar.
“The interruption of the fight against terrorism, the food crisis, economic problems, and coups are among these problems. As long as Niger is the scene of this power rivalry and is governed by an anti-democratic power, it is clear that the peace and stability of the people of Niger and the states of the region will suffer greatly,” she stated.
However, she identified that folks have come out towards the putsch, even drawing parallels with the defeated July 15, 2016 coup try in Türkiye.
“It is quite remarkable that some individuals in these demonstrations said they were out to support their president just as people supported President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Türkiye,” stated Çinar.
“It should also be noted that this mass of people is there to protect democracy and is actually uncomfortable with the French domination that has been on them for many years,” she added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
