by Alex Davidson

In Niger on 26^th July 2023 Mohamed Bazoum was ousted as President and detained by the Presidential Guard. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie or CNSP) took over the government of the country. It has representatives from all branches of the country’s armed forces in its leadership with Brigadier General Tchiani as President of the Council.

The CNSP was met with an outpouring of joy and masses of people came out to show their support. The demonstrations also showed the great antipathy towards France and its control of the country for more than a century. One of the first acts of the CNSP was the cancellation of 5 military cooperation agreements signed with France between 1977 and 2020.

THREAT OF WAR 

The Economic Community of West Africa (Ecowas) imposed sanctions and issued a deadline for Niger’s President Bazoum to be re-installed otherwise it would intervene militarily. The deadline came and went but ECOWAS continues to threaten military intervention.

The US has the largest drone base in the world at Agadez in the north of the country, as well as 5 other military bases, and French special forces are garrisoned in the city of Arlit on behalf of the uranium mining company Orano. France also has an important air base near the capital, Niamey, which would be critical for any invasion by Ecowas. Neither France, with 1500 troops, nor the United States, with 1000 troops, are keen to directly intervene with their own military forces. They prefer proxies to go to war on their behalf. For example, in 2021, France and the United States protected their private companies, Total Energies and ExxonMobil, in Mozambique by asking the Rwandan army to intervene militarily.

France has been encouraging Ecowas to invade on their behalf and the US dispatched Victoria Nuland, Acting Deputy Secretary of State, to Niger shortly after the coup. This was her third visit in 2 years and Secretary of State Blinken visited earlier in March underlining the importance of Niger to the US. Nuland has a history of organising the overthrow of those the US doesn’t like. In a media conference by video call during her visit she said, “we wanted to speak frankly to the people responsible to this challenge to the democratic order to see if we could try to resolve these issues diplomatically, if we could get some negotiations going, and also to make absolutely clear what is at stake in our relationship and the economic and other kinds of support that we will legally have to cut off if democracy is not restored. You have probably seen we have already had to pause our assistance.” (1)

Nigeria, which is currently chair of Ecowas, will provide most of the soldiers of the invading force. However, the Nigerian Senate voted against military intervention and there have been mass protests in Nigeria and other Ecowas countries against the use of force. The African Union imposed sanctions but has said that it wouldn’t intervene militarily. Mali and Burkina Faso, currently both suspended by Ecowas, stated that they would regard an ECOWAS military intervention as a declaration of war and would come to Niger’s aid. An Ecowas invasion could plunge the region into war. At the time of going to press Ecowas has so far not invaded.

The new government of Niger gave the French Ambassador 48 hours to leave the country, but he remains there under the orders of Macron as do the 1500 French troops. In 2022 Mali ordered the withdrawal of French troops and they were re-located to Niger. The CNSP closed Niger airspace which means that the US cannot fly its drones nor planes from its base at Agadez in the north of the country which is the largest drone base in the world. How long the US will be willing to accept this remains to be seen.

The coup in Niger follows similar coups in Mali (2021), Burkina Faso (2022) and Guinea (2021) and has been followed by the unseating (August 2023) of the 55 year long corrupt Bongo dynasty in Gabon kept in place for all those years by the French. Each of these coups was led by military officers angered by the presence of French and US troops and by the permanent economic crises inflicted on their countries.

This region of Africa – the Sahel – is facing a multitude of problems, including desiccation of the land due to the climate catastrophe; the rise of Islamic militancy arising from the 2011 NATO war in Libya; the increase in smuggling networks to traffic weapons, people and drugs across the desert; the appropriation of natural resources, including uranium and gold by western companies; and the entrenchment of Western military forces through the construction of bases and their operation.

Niger has a population of some 25 million, of whom about 70% are under 25 years of age. More than 40% of the population are below the poverty line and 30% of children under 5 years of age are underweight. It is a poverty-stricken country with a young generation disillusioned by a raft of issues and unwilling to passively accept a shortage of jobs, perceived high levels of corruption and privilege among the elite, manipulation of the electoral process, and at the persistent influence of France.

FRENCH COLONIALISM 

During the imperialist Scramble for Africa in the years, 1880-1900, France colonised vast parts of western, eastern and central Africa. It continues its control of these so-called independent countries through a particular brand of French neo-colonialism.

After the abolition of slavery, huge “reparations” were paid to the French former slave owners. These were used in part to establish colonial banks in Africa to ensure that French domination would endure post-slavery by maintaining a neo-colonial arrangement. This involved the deliberate under-developing of the colonies’ economies, their forced reliance on raw material exports, and a French monopoly on shipping, exports, and imports.

CFA FRANC 

The Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) franc was the currency designed by France to ensure French control survived colonialism’s official demise. The CFA franc is colonialism repackaged. The Franc of the French Colonies in Africa (FCFA) during colonial times became with independence the Franc of the Financial Community of Africa (FCFA) in West Africa. The French government is a specialist at reframing colonial structures using new names.

When Guinea decided to issue its own banknotes and currency in 1960, France organised a sabotage operation to destabilise the new country, sending in its secret service agents, flooding the economy with false banknotes, and disrupting everything. This sent a clear message to other countries.

In the CFA franc system, the African central banks have for decades been obliged to deposit a large proportion (50%) of their foreign currency reserves into the French treasury. The CFA franc leads to massive capital outflows from the former colonies. Membership of the franc zone is synonymous with poverty and under-employment, as evidenced by the fact that 11 of its 15 members are classed as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), while the remainder (Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon) have all experienced long-term economic decline.

IMF DIKTAT 

The CFA was devalued in 1994 at the instigation of France and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This meant that as of January 1994, 100 CFA francs equalled 1 French franc, instead of the previous ratio of 50 CFA francs to 1 French franc. This meant that CFA franc zone countries were now selling their products for half as much but were buying products from other countries for twice as much. This led to a surge in prices and inflation. People’s purchasing power declined and it became difficult for ordinary citizens to make ends meet and the West got the former French colonies raw materials at knock-down prices.

The IMF doesn’t hide its policy as it publicly states “The IMF policy encourages governments to couple devaluation with sound macroeconomic and structural adjustment policies. The former includes prudent fiscal and monetary policies and an appropriate exchange rate regime. The latter includes trade liberalisation, elimination of price controls, diversification of agriculture, reduction of government workforces and spending, and privatisation of state-owned industries”. (2) The effects of this neo-liberal policy have had extremely negative consequences on the lives of working people in the metropolitan capitalist countries. It has had a devastating effect on the peoples in the global south.

France stopped using the franc in 2002 when it switched to the Euro. However, 14 former French colonies continued to use the CFA, which gives huge advantages to France given that some 50% of the reserves of these countries having to be held in the French Treasury. An excellent arrangement for French capitalism.  

To uphold the CFA franc France has never hesitated to jettison heads of state tempted to withdraw from the system. Many were removed from office or killed in favour of more compliant and corrupt leaders. Even the BBC has now admitted this, “No-one disputes that there was indeed a long period - roughly corresponding to the Cold War - when France used a certain amount of skulduggery and military muscle to further its interests in La Françafrique”. (3)

URANIUM 

At the centre of this neo-colonial arrangement in Niger is the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (Somaïr), a joint venture between Niger and France, which owns and operates the uranium industry. 85% of Somaïr is owned by France’s Atomic Energy Commission and two French companies while only 15% is owned by Niger’s government.

Niger is the world’s seventh largest uranium producer producing over 5% of the world’s uranium and it possesses Africa’s highest grade uranium ores. Some 70% of France’s energy comes from the nuclear industry powered by Niger’s uranium. Orano, a French state-owned nuclear energy company has major stakes in three uranium mines in Niger. It was formerly known as Areva and has operated in Niger for about 50 years. It is the second largest uranium producer in the world and has a revenue of €4.7 billion. Niger receives a pittance for its uranium which is exported for enrichment to France.

MILITARY OCCUPATION 

The western powers’ military bases and troops are presented as partners in the fight against Islamic militants. The truth is that the western military is there to protect western economic interests and will use jihadists to undermine the new regime as they have done elsewhere like Afghanistan.

The US base (Air Base 201) at Agadez on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, about 500 miles north-east of the Nigerien capital Niamey, is not simply a military outpost but is the linchpin of the US military’s archipelago of bases in North and West Africa and a key part of America’s wide-ranging intelligence, surveillance, and security of its assets in the region. Air Base 201, or AB 201, was built at a cost of $110 million and costs $20-30 million each year to maintain. It is home to Space Force personnel involved in high-tech satellite communications, Joint Special Operations Air Detachment facilities, and a fleet of drones including MQ9 Reapers. (4) The US also has bases at Niamey, Arlit, Dirkou, Diffa and Ouallam in the country. In all the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has 29 bases on the African continent.

IMPERIALIST RIVALRY 

There are differences among the western imperialist powers over how to react to the coup in Niger. Le Figaro reported, “After the putsch in Niger, France fears being overtaken by its American ally”. Based on comments from a French diplomat, the paper reported the US “did the exact opposite of what we thought they would do,” by sending Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to meet with the coup leaders. The article begins with the line, “With allies like that, we don’t need enemies.” The paper summarised its source’s view that the “Americans simply want to keep their bases in the region above all else. Washington will not hesitate to drop a demand for what he called constitutional legality to achieve this goal…The United States, like all our allies for that matter, has a habit of letting us take the hits.”

This assessment found support in a CNN article which reported, “The Biden administration is searching for ways to keep US forces and assets in Niger to continue anti-terror operations, even as it becomes increasingly unlikely that the military junta that overthrew the country’s government last month will cede power back to the democratically elected president.”

These differences and jostling for position among the imperialists may provide some time and limited negotiating space for the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. However, exchanging a French patron for an American master may be the offer on the table.

The continuing support of the people will be severely tested as food insecurity will grow as a consequence of sanctions and there will be efforts made by the US and France to stir up opposition.

Victoria Nuland during her video call from Niamey said, “So today we had a chance first to sit with a broad cross-section of Nigerian civil society. These are long-time friends of the United States. They are journalists. They are democratic activists. They are human rights activists. A number of them I had met on previous trips, as had the Secretary. And so we had a frank exchange about the situation here.” (5) So, the West and their agents on the ground will be stirring up opposition and the western mainstream media will be parroting the buzzwords of "democratisation", "empowerment", "co-operation", and "engagement with the young", whilst bleating about the malign influence of Russia and China in Africa.

The unity of the CNSP will also be tested as the West seeks to create wedges by various means including sanctions, bribery, promises of safety and amnesty, and the threat of war by overwhelmingly superior forces. The main aim of the imperialist West will be to safeguard their economic interests and continue the rape of Africa.

(1) https://eg.usembassy.gov/acting-deputy-secretary-of-state-victoria-nuland-on-the-situation-in-niger/

(2) https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fabric/backgrnd.htm

(3) Schofield, Hugh, Macron looks on as France’s Africa policy crumbles. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66668094 2/9/23

(4) The MQ-9 Reaper is the primary offensive strike unmanned aerial vehicle for the US Air Force.

(5) https://eg.usembassy.gov/acting-deputy-secretary-of-state-victoria-nuland-on-the-situation-in-niger/

 

Things have changed since December last year when US Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with former Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum (at the table second left) and the presidents of Djibouti and Somalia. Photo by Freddie Everett

ECOWAS countries. Image by Scantyzer1

Niger has a population of some 25 million, of whom about 70% are under 25 years of age. More than 40% of the population are below the poverty line and 30% of children under 5 years of age are underweight.