A day after ECOWAS chiefs of staffs finalized plans for a military intervention, Nigeria's Senate refused support President Bola Tinubu's proposal to deploy soldiers. Tinubu is the current chair of ECOWAS. Meanwhile, Niger has seen multiple demonstrations in support of the coup that overthrew Mohamed Bazoum
The French refusal to relinquish military influence over their former colonial regions is a big part of why these popular coups have been seeking the support of Russia. If France and the West in general want to repair their relations with the people of the Sahel and steer them away from Russia, they need to reduce their military presence (assuming that has popular support) and begin providing reparations. This region was fucked over by the French and that has never been acknowledged fairly.
The article is about Nigeria’s willingness to intervene, not the origin of the coup that ousted the elected president. But I guess any article about the current crisis in Niger is a fair opening to take a shot at France.
A through-line from every source I’ve read on the crisis is that there seems to be broad support across the country for the French military to remove their troops from Nigerien land. Another source: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/west-african-defence-chiefs-mull-response-niger-coup-2023-08-03/
The French refusal to relinquish military influence over their former colonial regions is a big part of why these popular coups have been seeking the support of Russia. If France and the West in general want to repair their relations with the people of the Sahel and steer them away from Russia, they need to reduce their military presence (assuming that has popular support) and begin providing reparations. This region was fucked over by the French and that has never been acknowledged fairly.
https://mondediplo.com/outsidein/niger-accountability
The article is about Nigeria’s willingness to intervene, not the origin of the coup that ousted the elected president. But I guess any article about the current crisis in Niger is a fair opening to take a shot at France.