Coup in Niger (Updates)

AHH, in his final comment here, summarized some excellent results.  It is number four in this series of comments and starts with The Cavalry has Arrived!

My comment was: Take it away African Leaders – Let’s see you in action!

This news is joyful as we see (and I’ve been hoping to see and I know AHH has as well) African Solidarity.  This epitomizes the massive change on the continent.

The most interesting development is the airplanes arriving from France to remove/safeguard their citizens and all of this for a coup that has a good chance to be successful without extreme violence.  Hot and cold Running Rats!  France officially announced the evacuation of its citizens and EU citizens from the country. The operation will start today. Italy also announced the organization of the evacuation flight.

This is not over yet, but so far so good.  Remain peaceful brothers and as soon as possible re-institute a rule of law.    

The news of these African nations’ response to potential external involvement in their internal political affairs was not as loud in the Western world, with sanctions and ultimatums and threats of taking away aid, as one might have expected. African nations are aware of their history and seem determined not to tolerate interference from outside powers. Threatening an imminent invasion if demands are not met can provoke strong reactions from other nations.  And the neighbors are standing together!

This may spark the liberation of the continent.

New Information at the end

One – Here is where we started

African Optics in Niger -– Africa has just recently led a peace mission to Ukraine and Russia, saying the war should end in a negotiated settlement.  Now, with the coup in Niger, they are threatening military force.  This is both the African Union as a whole, as well as the smaller regional organization, Ecowas (The Economic Community of West African States).  These two organizations also seem to be not talking to one another, as they are giving different ultimatums in time:  15 days and one week.

France apparently has decided on strikes against the coup junta to free to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.  This seemingly is with the support of the Niger military.  However this ends, France might get the message that it is no longer welcome in Africa after similar coups in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years amid a surge in anti-French sentiment.   “The President will not tolerate any attack against France and its interests,” President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement, specifying that it would respond to attacks against French diplomats, armed forces, or businesses.

The coup junta’s first decree was to ban all uranium exports to France.  France literally runs on Niger and other African sources of Uranium.    Over 50 percent of the uranium ore extracted from Niger is used for fuelling French nuclear power plants. 24% of EU uranium imports come from Niger.  In France, 1 in every 3 lightbulbs is powered by Uranium from Niger. Meanwhile, in Niger, 80% of people do not have access to any electricity.  Niger is the seventh-largest producer of uranium in the world.

So we have a resource-rich but very poor country, producing high amounts of uranium, that does not have energy for itself.  This is a teaching moment and this is why Russia is supporting Africa because colonialism and resource extraction has not ended.  And, Germany is considering what to do with its forces stationed in Niger.  German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated on Monday that Germany is actively engaging with counterparts in Niger to evaluate various options concerning its troops stationed in Niger and its military withdrawal plans from neighboring Mali.  Why does Germany have forces there?  We know the US has contingents of soldiers.

The masses of protesters in the streets and around the French Embassy are calling for the closure of all foreign bases on the African country’s territory. They carry anti-French placards, some Russian Flags and pro-Russian slogan chanting can be heard and they loudly proclaim their support of the participants of the coup.  Some shooting and violence are breaking out, but nothing material at this stage.

The president of Chad, General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, was on Sunday in Niger to help resolve the crisis in the country following a coup, a Chad government spokesman told.  Itno was in the capital Niamey “to see what he could bring to solving the crisis,” Aziz Mahamat Saleh said, adding that the trip was on the initiative of Chad, which neighbors Niger.  Itno reported that the Ousted Niger President is in “Good Spirits”

Mohamed Bazoum met Chad’s leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno in Niger’s capital, Niamey, as regional leaders try to mediate between the sides.  Let’s see you mediate African neighbors! and deal with African issues.  If this is not a strange countercoup with an objective to blame Russia at the end, you have been handed the opportunity of a lifetime! 

According to Mahamat Idris Deby, he intends to achieve a peaceful way (https://t.me/absatzmedia/50858) out of the crisis.

Continuation

Aid of course is never aid.  It is simply buying control.

This coup is not over yet and is going to be a fascinating image for the future, in terms of how Africa sorts out their own coups.

Niger Coup: African Leaders To Meet After Military Warning

West African heads of state are set to meet Sunday in neighboring Nigeria to discuss the military coup in Niger, the day after the West African nation’s new military leaders warned they would “defend their homeland” against a possible military intervention.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) could potentially cut off Niger – one of the world’s poorest countries that relies on $2 billion in development assistance – from the region’s central bank, following the EU and France already pulled financial support.

Crowds of citizens responded to the coup leaders’ calls to protest possible ECOWAS intervention to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to power, and French interference, outside the French embassy in the capital Niamey.

Take it away African Leaders – Let’s see you in action!

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TWO – Adding the comments from AHH

Re: “Africa has just recently led a peace mission to Ukraine and Russia, saying the war should end in a negotiated settlement. Now, with the coup in Niger, they are threatening military force…

…In France, 1 in every 3 lightbulbs is powered by Uranium from Niger. Meanwhile, in Niger, 80% of people do not have access to any electricity. “

Well put. The shameless contradictions are glaring, no?! My lovely fellow Africans — peace and kumbaya abroad for the barbarians but hammers and tongs at home.

If Russia plays it well, there is scope to not only expose the West and its compradores in ECOWAS but to humiliate them. But I fear with their priority of the SMO and legalism constraints, and not wishing expansion of commitments atm, they will remain reticent and play the long game. And they can expect many dividends of this sordid issue for many years. Those ice-cold Russkies!

However Niger coup clique does have several things in its favor.

• Most neighbors appear allies (green boxed). The countries in green are anti-imperialist; some like Mali & Burkina Faso (BF) militantly so, having recently kicked the French out.
• Others may be neutral (orange boxed). Is the barking of some optical, due to manipulation by AF/AFP/Reuters?? All are war-weary and hungry themselves. Uncle Toms are on thin ice.. There is general gestalt against all European neocolonialists.
• Most neighbors will not want to create internal problems for themselves by being seen to support the oppressors.. the $1M Question: who is dumb enough, looking for big payout from overseas?? Insouciance is a human specialty.
• Topography. Most of Niger’s population is in settled non-desert South (and even then in the SW corner). Most of Niger is desert. So there is not as much border to guard. The new Junta Bosses can focus on consolidating the major pop center of the capital Niamey, surrounded lovingly by the well-wisher friendlies Mali & BF.
• Niger has numbers, second-most in ECOWAS, most of it youth, which it can mobilize. Outside of regional behemoth Nigeria (population 220M) it has sizable pop of 27M which balances greatest danger from Chad (pop = 18-20M). And solid allies Mali + Burkina Faso (BF) provide another 50 M, outnumbering all others combined except Nigeria; Ghana should be neutral and lacks a common border..
• Support from Mali & BF. Can the young Jefe Traoré from BF send support? Did he look gun-shy and a gentle dilettante in St. Petersburg?! So Mali and BF can openly send support, providing plausible deniability for Russia…. btw, the Chef, rascal that he is, should be pardoned (after being stripped of loot) — his Hillary-like cackling and mockery of West in last days has been GOLDEN. He’s back to being a Telgram jockey??
• Nuthin to lose, rarin’ to rock & roll. Niger is already dirt-poor and starving. What can the perfidious West threaten it with?!! All potential action leads to improvement, after the proverbial sacrifice.

All these advantages may inform Western panic and immediate threats of force.. So if they can hold out and keep their nerves, they’ve got a lot going.

The kinetic wild cards:

• All the western legionnaires within Niger, good enough for sabotage operations such as decapitation of coup regime leaders??
• France in particular, like an abused & humiliated fish wife on the Sea of Azov who is now desperate, and suicidal and feels like she can get away with kicking the puppies in the local park… (NB. The German trannies are a joke! What is DM Pistorius going to send? Bear pepper spray? The running prosthetics of his South African cousin Oscar??)
• Chad, another militant neighbor embroiled in its own civil wars whose last president, father of current one, was just killed months ago in an internal war. But this in itself may be a positive — they are themselves overstretched and none too fond of the French. But the new Leader lacks experience 😓 and he came at once at beck and call of ECOWAS to Niger.. Chad is the great danger IMHO. The likely proxy to be mobilized.
• Nigeria. But it has a brand new president, and likely doesn’t want to be embroiled in foreign wars. I dont know enough of their politics and inclination for risk…
• What ECOWAS can scrounge together

So it is looking more and more interesting. The key is the nerve and abilities to stay alive of the new Junta. Just for a year or so, until they obtain the cred of BF and Mali. Then the semi-demented Russian musicians can waltz in to cement the deal.

The French Word of the day is “France dégage.” An encouraging video from Indian media interviewing west african. ECOWAS is out of line and without popular support. Its bluff should be called….

btw, for weeks, there has been another slo-mo [color] coup in process in Senegal too. How many balls can the crazies juggle, in addition to SMO & China?

PS — another useful video from Indian media: even White House is forced to admit neither Russian gov nor Wagner involved atm. But there is a tide of support behind the coup Junta…

In addition to Niger’s resources like uranium and gold, one of the reasons the US is so angry about the nationalist coup is the Pentagon spent $110+ million there building a massive drone base it uses to control the Sahel.

The CIA also has a base in Nigerhttps://t.co/TpnyjMsYIz

💬 Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) August 1, 2023

💬 The authorities of Niger have opened the borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, and Chad, as reported by France Press, citing a representative of the country’s government.

💬 Pentagon Keeps Troops in Niger

💬 On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced the suspension of security cooperation with Niger due to the ongoing political unrest in the West African nation. However, it clarified that U.S. troops are not being evacuated, and some of them are still maintaining engagement with members of the country’s military.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, assured reporters that there is no imminent threat against any U.S. personnel or American citizens in Niger.

💬 Threat of use of force against Niger will not help resolve conflict – Maria Zakharova

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry added that the Russian Federation considers it extremely important to prevent the degradation of the situation in Niger, to organize a national dialogue.

💬 The Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold an extraordinary meeting on the situation in Niger from August 2-4, ECOWAS said on Tuesday.

💬 “The Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States will meet in Abuja from August 2nd to 4th, 2023 on the political situation in the Republic of Niger,” the organization said on Twitter.

On Sunday, ECOWAS gave Niger’s coup leaders one week to reinstate the detained president or it would use “all measures,” including military, to restore order in the African nation.

Moreover, ECOWAS suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze the assets of the rebels, their families and supporters, and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country.

On Tuesday, France and the European Union started to evacuate its citizens.

💬 Rebel authorities in Niger have appointed new regional heads of state (https://t.me/absatzmedia/51101). All of the appointed individuals are from the military.

💬 Italy’s foreign minister ruled out any Western military intervention in Niger, stating that such action would be perceived as a “new colonization.”