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this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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It's great that West African nations are taking care of this themselves. It is a moment of empowerment. They should take care of their own. Without interference from the outside. Neither from the West, nor Russia, nor China.
I assure you ecowas is being encouraged down this road by the us and France and will likely have the military aid of France who is pissed that the locals lightly attacked their embassy in Niger a few weeks ago
Phrasing it as “lightly attacked” is playing down the risk to embassy staff, diplomats and their security detail.
If the attack was more successful we may have seen the embassy personnel murdered.
I only say lightly because it was an unorganized mob that was dispersed with tear gas, it wasn’t actual soldiers with gear and training thankfully
Perceptions matter. Even if the West is supplying the arms. It is still West Africans doing the deed.
It would be a colonial intervention if Western militaries invaded the country and deposed the junta. That would be a whole different situation. It wasn't that long ago when Western powers would routinely do this. Or fund dictators to get rid of democratically elected officials. So, progress?
The difference is that the west outsourced the war to the Africans. It's probably costs more than direct intervention but they get a compliant country that they can use for profits and whatever else, and none of the risk to human life. I wouldn't call that progress, just neocolonialism
That's a pretty cynical world view. The president was democratically elected by Nigeriens and has support from the majority of the public. Speculation suggests that General Abdourahamane Tchiani initiated the coup because he's 62 and was about to be dismissed from his position in the government. He cites security risks that were ignored near Niger's borders, but there's not been much evidence of that.
Sure it helps the West to have a more stable, democratic president at the helm of the country you could trade with, but that doesn't mean that they're necessarily exploiting the country. France wants to ensure that their supply of uranium fuel isn't disrupted and the idea of cutting off the export of uranium to the rest of the world was floated by Tchiani. Without the uranium exports, Niger's net international trade value drops by 15% (-$1.75B to -$2B).
The world is way more exploitative than you seem to recognize. I suggest researching unequal exchange.
"Beyond this, outright corruption has also played a part in maintaining the postcolonial order. Françafrique has comprised countries notorious for human rights violations, including Niger. Subservient puppet leaders ignored democratic progress in return for massive aid programmes. Bribes have been paid via arms deals and other help with security, and – of course – in hard cash that has been laundered."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/05/niger-crisis-france-empire-africa-coup-colony
Yeah I’m active in African politics and have people in Africa who I regularly interact with and send remittances to. I’ve yet to interact with a single African person who thinks the actions of ECOWAS are in any way serving the needs of the African people. It’s very clearly viewed as ECOWAS attempting to re-assert neo-colonial control of the region. ECOWAS itself is likely facing a threat from the west, and feels like if they don’t intervene the west will. France and the US are very angry they no longer have their gigantic drone bases in Niger anymore, which were the gigantic drone bases in Burkina Faso before that, which were the bases in Mali before that. There’s a clear through-line here in all of these coups, and it’s western militaries setting up shop under the guise of fighting Islamic extremism.
It's nothing particularly new. ECOWAS intervened militarily in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bisseau as far back as the 1990s.
I remember when ECOMOG filled a similar role 25-30 years ago.
"Every Car Or Movable Object Gone"
African acronym shitposting is next-level.
„They should take care of their own.“ This is at best a naive sentiment. They’re on planet Earth after all. Also, because they’re in Africa, doesn‘t mean other African nations will treat them favourably. Economic interests in this area are huge. That ECOWAS will act in the interest of the people of Niger is highly doubtful.