Niger coup: Lessons for France, African leaders.

The successful military takeover in Niger is giving African leaders and France in particular, sleepless nights. Last week, Nigerien soldiers of the Presidential Guard, commanded by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, blockaded the presidential palace and deposed President Mohamad Bazoum, who was elected last year with 55.67% of the votes.

Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane announced on state television that the President had been removed from power and was replaced by a military junta, calling itself the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, whose leadership is General Tchiani.

Panicky leaders from the West Africa Economic Community, ECOWAS, held crisis talks in Abuja on Sunday, to discuss action to take. 

A statement after the summit, pointed out that the ECOWAS leaders had "zero tolerance" for coups. It said they gave the junta seven days to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum.

The leaders warned that they would "take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order," if their demands were not met within a week.

"Such measures may include the use of force." Military chiefs are to meet "immediately" to plan for an intervention, the statement added. 

Ironically Chad's President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, who himself is a military ruler, scurried to Niamey to tell the junta to step down. It was a failed mission.

The West African leaders also announced the immediate enforcement of a no-fly zone over Niger for all commercial flights, the closure of all land borders with the country and the imposition of financial sanctions against the junta.

Taking the cue, France condemned violence against its diplomatic mission in Niger and pledged to react strongly to any attack on its nationals or interests. This came after anti-French protests took place outside the French Embassy in Niamey, following the military coup.

"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.

Reliable reports note that France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, with support from drones and warplanes. It had counter-insurgency troops in Mali for a decade but turned to Niger to base the bulk of its forces, following coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Even before the ECOWAS meeting and condemnation from France, General Tchiani had warned ECOWAS and unnamed Western nations, which left no one in doubt he was referring to France, against interference in their internal affairs. 

"We once again reiterate to ECOWAS or any other adventurer, our firm determination to defend our fatherland," the statement, which was read out on TV and disseminated on the social media, noted.

He added that they would resist any "plan of aggression against Niger". He was probably buoyed by popular supporters and demonstrators in the capital, Niamey, who celebrated the coup, waving Russian flags and chanting "Wagner", a private military contractor. The leader of the group has already praised the military for seizing power. 

General Tchiani’s conspicuous presence at the Russia-Africa summit, is indicative that the influence of Russia and Wagner in the region would grow against that of France and its American and European allies.

The new leadership which took over complaining of gross insecurity and poverty in the country endowed with mineral resources, has already suspended the export of uranium to France.

Niger is said to be the second poorest country in the world, yet France is making a fortune out of its resources and providing peanut change as aid. 

It has foreign military presence from countries like France, United States, Italy and the European Union, yet it remains one of the most unstable with the current President being the tenth after independence.

That instability has largely been caused by poverty, which is the "devil’s workshop". 

Foreign countries claiming to provide security by fighting terrorism, have more been in the country for their economic interests. If they had not been exploiting, how could a country that produces uranium, which the superpowers use to manufacture nuclear weapons of mass destruction, be at the nadir of world poverty?

Isn't it France, which reportedly sabotaged the creation of the ECOWAS common currency, that would have liberated Francophone countries like Niger out of the nadir of penury? What financial sanctions does ECOWAS want to impose when it does not have a common currency?

In less than two years, there have been three military leadership in the West African region and ECOWAS has never threatened military action. Why now? Why did France support military rule in Burkina Faso and is now opposed to it in Niger?

In as much as military rule should be detested, no matter the validity of the reasons, African leaders should be proactive and nip in the bud the causes. 

Exploitation of African natural resources that lead to poverty has been the root causes of the progressive return of the military after a long lull.

African leaders should be condemning peers who are protected by foreign powers to loot to support them stay in power and encourage transformation of raw material of their natural resources, rather than always craving to be exporters of raw materials to countries that determine the price.

After over half a century of independence, African leaders should not continue to be beggars of aid, food, grain and fertilisers, whose shortages could cause unconstitutional change of power.

While military takeovers are an abomination, they become inevitable if leaders do not serve the interests of their people, but that of neocolonialists; be they France, Russia, China, United Kingdom or the United States.