Only months after forcing its former colonizer France to withdraw its troops, Niger, West Africa’s largest country, has said the presence of US troops is illegal. This could be a major blow to the US military’s power-projection capacity in the region
Land area under ECOWAS, which is condemned by West Africa’s popular movements as an agent of French imperialism, has been reduced to less than half after their withdrawal
The West African regional bloc has decided to negotiate with Niamey for a “short transition roadmap” that can potentially lift sweeping economic sanctions. Meanwhile, Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, is strengthening regional integration
Peoples Dispatch spoke with Sani Adamou to discuss the recent coups which he claims are expressions of widespread discontent
At the UN General Assembly, Mali and Burkina Faso reiterated their rejection of a military intervention against Niger, recalling the devastating 2011 NATO-led war on Libya and its role in fueling violence in the Sahel
After withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso, and now on the way out from Niger, Chad is the last of the now practically defunct G5 Sahel country to host a permanent base of France.
US activists protested outside of the UN General Assembly against US and French imperialism and warmongering in the Sahel
As an ECOWAS military threat looms over Niger, the three countries have formally declared that any act of aggression against one will be considered an aggression against all. The leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have come to power in popularly-backed coups amid mass anti-French anger and rising insecurity in the Sahel
The commander of French forces in the Sahel has discussed disengagement from Niger, yet Macron has refused to withdraw troops, whose continued presence in Niger was deemed ‘illegal’
We take a look at the developments in Niger and the Sahel region a month after the coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum. The developments in Niger are reflective of a larger trend which has mounted a resistance to insecurity, exploitation, and French presence
France refuses to withdraw its ambassador and troops from Niger, and reiterates its threat of supporting military invasion by ECOWAS, while the regional bloc itself is “determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts”
The CNSP has proposed a three-year transition period for Niger as ECOWAS threatens increasingly-unpopular military action. Nigeriens have continued to take to the streets to demand the removal of foreign troops from their soil and for the lifting of “inhumane” sanctions
