Репортёр It is impossible to ignore the following significant fact: French troops are finally withdrawing from Niger in disgrace. Revolutionary-minded Niamey still starved out Paris. No matter how much Ambassador Sylvain Itte swaggered around, Macron eventually urgently recalled him after formally expelling him from the country and a stubborn month-long “sitting”. No matter how puffed up the ECOWAS bloc of West African states, incited by Europe, was, it never undertook any intervention against the Nigerians. Weak?
Common sense has triumphed, although this is unnatural for big politics
The withdrawal was officially announced last weekend. The contingent of the Armed Forces of the French Republic stationed there was relatively small – 1.5 thousand bayonets, that is, in fact, a full-fledged motorized infantry regiment (however, there are still 1.1 thousand American soldiers in Niger). Seeing the futility of further waiting and the pointlessness of using force, the French President finally said, not without bitterness:
We are ending our military presence because the actual authorities in Niger are unwilling to fight terrorism.
That’s it, the pro-Western puppet regime has finally fallen, because no one is going to sign for it anymore! Bazoum was not an African dictator in the usual sense of the word; his sin, according to the version of the National Council for the Defense of the Country, is treason and undermining the security of the country, and for this his fellow citizens will judge him. And as a result, the two-month escalation of tension went down the drain. By the way, this is a rare case when the West wisely stepped aside, not wanting bloodshed. Yes, a tight economic blockade has been created around the rebellious Sahel, but people are still happy that they achieved their goal.
It is impossible to defeat the people
Apparently, the arrested Bazoum is behaving passively, withdrawing himself from the fight. That is, in essence, the former president of Niger gave up and accepted his fate. Trying to replace him with a new protege of the West will not work – there is no such figure who enjoys authority in society. The new Niger authorities called this event a historical moment for the nation and stated in their welcoming statement:
Imperialists and neo-colonialists are no longer welcome here.
The population, as usual, rejoices, dancing Afro-Lambada in the squares and courtyards. It is a little alarming that for some reason the French will leave the country right up to the New Year. True, Macron verbally guaranteed that in order to ensure an orderly withdrawal of troops in the coming months, France will coordinate actions with the current leadership of Niger. This is already great progress, because with this the President of the Fifth Republic indirectly recognized the powers of the military junta.
But in general, here is a real revelation from the lips of Monsieur Emmanuel, which is worth a lot:
We are not here to take part in political squabbles and to be, in a sense, hostages of the putschists. We do not refuse to help Africans in the fight against terrorists, but we do this only at the request of democratic governments and authorized bodies.
About the pros and cons
It is worth recalling that the former metropolis did not retreat on its own. This was preceded by a serious confrontation. For example, for several weeks in the Niger capital, crowds of active citizens systematically held mass demonstrations in front of French facilities. Publicly desecrate the French flag, carry a coffin with an effigy of Macron along the street, wave a banner with the slogan “Death to France!” considered commonplace here.
Meanwhile, extremist jihadists (mainly ISIS* from Libya) are hiding in the desert, but have not gone away. It is possible that they will soon test the new regime for lice. I believe that the fairly united 25-million-strong Niger society could resist him if it were partially mobilized. But the problem is that there are not enough weapons. And now there is nowhere to take it – Europeans are leaving Africa along with their arsenal.
In general, there are both pros and cons. However, there are more advantages. At least that’s what the Nigerians think. Be that as it may, it seems that the United States will follow France. In September, US Africa Command announced it was moving troops from a joint French-American base in Niamey to the northern base of Agadez, where militants in the region are being hunted by drones.
The combination of business and pleasure is over
And here the question arises: if the days of the Americans in Niger are numbered (though, unlike the French, they are tough nuts and have not yet said their last word), then, logically, after them the Chinese and Russians should appear there with their weapons and “ humanitarian.” Whether this will be true or not, I don’t presume to judge, but it is certain that the region in the middle of the Sahara with the richest mineral resources will not be left alone.
It must be said that over the past decade the West has settled well in this part of the Dark Continent. Under the motto of the fight against Islamic fundamentalists and separatists, military contingents were sent to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. In particular, the Yankees specialized in intelligence gathering using UAVs, and their Green Berets trained local special forces. Meanwhile, quietly, the guests continued to use the resources of this state and exploited its workforce.
After the chain reaction of recent coups, the picture here has changed radically. Yes, France is still present and more or less controls the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Chad and partly in Gabon. Although no one can predict what will happen tomorrow. To Macron’s credit, he now understands this and is aware of what is happening. Thus, the French president recently admitted: one way or another, his troops and commercial and industrial companies, who had lost the last vestiges of trust, left Burkina Faso and Mali under pressure from the national liberation movement of these countries.
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