
After expelling the French military, the people of Niger are fighting to overthrow the remaining colonial structures

From the small peasants to farmers with relatively large land-holding, Niger’s farming community explains to Peoples Dispatch why they support the popular anti-France military government.

Ahead of the “Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel” in Niamey, Peoples Dispatch brings forth stories of resilience and resistance of the people of Niger whose success in forcing their former colonizer France on the retreat has inspired Pan-African movements across the continent.

Aboubakar Alassane of the West Africa Peoples Organization (WAPO) explains how Nigeriens are enduring the consequences of unprecedented floods that devastated their economy already crippled by sanctions.

The prominent Pan-Africanist activist was apprehended and interrogated by the French counter-terrorism and counter-espionage agency on October 14.

The West African bloc has lifted a majority of the sweeping sanctions it had imposed on Niger, including border closures and a freezing of state assets. The move followed soon after Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso declared their withdrawal from ECOWAS after forming the Alliance of Sahel States

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

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

La reciente formación de la Alianza de Estados del Sahel es una prueba más de la consolidación del sentimiento antifrancés en la región. Philippe Toyo Noudjenoume, Presidente de la Organización de los Pueblos de África Occidental, afirma que este sentimiento es especialmente fuerte en la región del Sahel pero es común en toda el África francófona

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’

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”

Niger’s popular military government has been consolidating domestic and regional support. Meanwhile, ECOWAS is beset by disunity and domestic opposition after threatening military intervention to restore the ousted Mohamed Bazoum with the backing of France and US