The colonel of the Army of Niger, Amadou Abdramane, one of the soldiers who participated in the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum last week, accused France on Monday, July 31, of planning attacks to try to free the democratically elected president, who remains held in the presidential palace. According to the version of the coup leaders, the overthrown government would have authorized the supposed plan. In addition, four ministers of the dismissed Executive were arrested.
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Tensions are rising between Paris and Niamey after the coup in Niger, which further weakens the role of the West in the Sahel and could expand Russia’s influence in the region.
The military junta that seized power after overthrowing the country’s first elected president, Mohamed Bazoumaccused France this July 31 of allegedly planning attacks against the headquarters of the Presidency, in order to free the ousted president, held by the military in that place since last July 26.
The accusations were made through a statement from Army Colonel Amadou Abdramane, one of the coup leaders, who assured that an alleged authorization for Paris to “intervene militarily” was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Niger, Hassoumi Massoudou, as Prime Minister.
“In its search for ways and means to intervene militarily in Niger, France, with the complicity of some Nigeriens, held a meeting with the chief of staff of the Niger National Guard to obtain the necessary political and military authorization,” the message said. read on state television.
The Army had already warned that any foreign attempt to extract the ousted head of state would result in “bloodshed and chaos.”
The government of President Emmanuel Macron has strongly condemned the coup and has called for Bazoum’s reinstatement. However, his Administration has not announced any intention to intervene on the ground.
Tensions between the two countries rise after dozens of supporters of the military protested against France on Sunday and tried to enter the French embassy in Niamey, for which the Macron government warned with a response in case they attempt against its diplomatic headquarters, its workers or interests in that nation.
Anti-French sentiment is running high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with the growing influence of Russia and China.
On this same day, Niger’s military junta arrested several ministers of the ousted government. They are the president of the Party for Democracy and Socialism of Niger, Foumakoye Gado; the Minister of Petroleum, Sani Mahamadou; and the head of Mining, Ousseini Hadizatou, according to the party said in a statement.
The fall of the last democratic president in the Sahel would expand the zone of Russian rule
A setback for the fledgling democracy in Niger, a blow to the last remaining democratic government in the Sahel, a blow to the influence of the West in the region and a breeding ground for the expansion of Russian influence in Africa. These are the first consequences of the actions against the Nigerian Executive.
With Bazoum’s ouster, all countries in the Sahel belt, from Sudan to Mauritana, are ruled by military juntas and the West loses its key ally in the region against jihadist violence.
The ousted president had been a support for Western nations, including France, in the fight against Islamist militias, which opens up greater security uncertainty in an area where groups allied to Al Qaeda and the self-styled Islamic State operate.
France has some 1,500 troops in Niger, one of its last partners in the area, after forces from Paris had to withdraw from neighboring Mali earlier this year.
But, in addition, the Russian group of Wagner mercenaries has a significant presence in most of the Sahel. Niger was the exception.
Although the Russian government has not officially endorsed the recent coup, the local press reported that the head of the Russian paramilitary group Yevgeny Prigozhin He praised the overthrow and met with representatives of Niger in Saint Petersburg, a day after the intervention against Bazoum.
In the midst of strong economic sanctions and international isolation for launching the war against Ukraine more than 16 months ago, Moscow is trying to strengthen its allies in Africa, a major supplier of metals and chemical elements such as uranium, crucial for the operation of nuclear facilities, that serve both Russia and Western nations. In fact, Niger has so far been the largest supplier of uranium to the French country.
Now, concerns are rising about the cradles of international terrorism, the isolation of the Sahel from the West and its rapprochement with Russia, the same path followed by Chad and Burkina Faso after their respective coups in recent years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, is setting the stage to strengthen his relations with that continent, as he demonstrated at the Africa-Russia summit in St. Petersburg last week, where he promised “free grain,” announced military agreements with 40 African countries and millionaire investments.
With Reuters and AP
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