The ongoing political struggle in the African Sahel pushed France to withdraw its military special forces from Central Africa, Burkina Faso, Mali, and lately in Niger, a geopolitical setback for Paris. Following the military coup against ousted President Mohammed Bazoum last summer is the consequence of recent Paris’s failed African Sahel strategy and West Africa foreign policy at large. In 2013, President Francois Hollande's justification for his act-of-war in Mali, "freeing the Malian people from al-Qae’eda," a catchy narrative for France to position itself as a solid and an eternal protector in the region.
Usually, military coups in the tumultuous region of the African Sahel are really no-event. Yet the Niger’s military coup d’etat did in fact make the entire region and its non-African players, regional and superpowers show great deal of interest and intention toward such a complex matter of local power struggle between tribal and ethnic, religious and political actors. On this stance, France that is considered the usual suspect of the region malaise and coups’ disease, is still very active and worried about the domino effect of the trajectory of the coups that are challenging its military and diplomatic prestige that the latter is in fact in decline since the fiasco of Serval and Berkhan operations in Mali, not to mention France’s Libya policy from President Niclas Sarkozy to President Emmanuel Macron, where their lack of experience of world affairs did affect their bad decisions, enhancing an anti-French sentiment across the continent.
Thus, this sentiment has given birth to Neo-Pan Africanism led by a new generation of military and political elite, and civil society leaders who are raising awareness against France’s patronage and hegemony.
This patronage attitude had demonstrated by the position of the sub-regional organization of ECOWAS, an organization that gathers fifteen countries, created in 1975 to better economic cooperation within the western African countries, nonetheless, the population in this sub-volatile region sees this organization as irrelevant and a minion in the hands of Paris. Notably, when the leader of ECOWAS, Nigerian president who did threaten the military authorities in Niamey for a military operation in the aftermath of the military coup.
A Proxy War Played into Colonial Power
According to the region’s analysts who were concerned that the consequences of any military operation would be countless, would create a serious security vacuum, a complicated humanitarian crisis, and a permanent political chaos, all these national security factors for instance, did oblige Algeria to react, and clash with France over the Niger crisis because Algiers looks at these series of coups in the region, the result of Paris’s arrogant foreign policy in the region is still driven by the colonial comportment and micromanaging of its allies that continues to create friction and delusion.
Hence, the scenario of the military intervention aimed of restoring legitimacy in Niamey, would be acted by the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, in an implicit option for Paris to punish the new military authorities in Niamey who dared to question France’s colonial power in Niger, and in the region in general; however, Algiers disagrees for such an operation because of its consequences, Algiers’ entire land borders are either on fire or on high tensions, opening a war front on its southern borders it will be a turning point, a doctrine shift in Algeria’s military doctrine that has the legal frame that put in place in the 2020 amended constitution in its article 91-2.
Algeria continues closely monitoring the situation in the entire tumultuous region as it is concerned on what is happening in its southern neighbor country for many considerations, it hastened to warn of the consequences of foreign military intervention in Niger, but without giving up on its main demand that had expressed since the first hours of the coup, the return to the constitutional order and respect of the rule of law.
A Contiuned Colonial Power
The Algerian government reaffirmed its support for the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum as the legitimate President of the Republic of Niger. “The return to the constitutional order should be achieved through peaceful means that would avoid brotherly Niger and the region as a whole from an escalation of insecurity and stability, and our peoples from more tribulations and tragedies.“ It also called for caution and restraint in the face of foreign military intervention intentions. As a result, these options are not excluded and can be resorted to, but they only represent factors that complicate and increase the seriousness of the current crisis.
French interests in Niger were targeted by local protests supporting the coup, as the French embassy was attacked, and they raised slogans calling for an end to French presence in their country, noting that Paris had deported about 1.500 soldiers from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso to Niger. A country is a major source of nuclear facilities in terms of uranium supply of France’s facilities. Algeria's warning of military intervention in Niger came to be distinguished from the French position, which was characterized by much ambiguity after the statement issued by the Elysee Palace after protests stormed the French embassy in Niamey, which threatened to protect its citizens and interests.
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Usually, military coups in the tumultuous region of the African Sahel are really no-event. Yet the Niger’s military coup d’etat did in fact make the entire region and its non-African players, regional and superpowers show great deal of interest and intention toward such a complex matter of local power struggle between tribal and ethnic, religious and political actors. On this stance, France that is considered the usual suspect of the region malaise and coups’ disease, is still very active and worried about the domino effect of the trajectory of the coups that are challenging its military and diplomatic prestige that the latter is in fact in decline since the fiasco of Serval and Berkhan operations in Mali, not to mention France’s Libya policy from President Niclas Sarkozy to President Emmanuel Macron, where their lack of experience of world affairs did affect their bad decisions, enhancing an anti-French sentiment across the continent.
Thus, this sentiment has given birth to Neo-Pan Africanism led by a new generation of military and political elite, and civil society leaders who are raising awareness against France’s patronage and hegemony.
This patronage attitude had demonstrated by the position of the sub-regional organization of ECOWAS, an organization that gathers fifteen countries, created in 1975 to better economic cooperation within the western African countries, nonetheless, the population in this sub-volatile region sees this organization as irrelevant and a minion in the hands of Paris. Notably, when the leader of ECOWAS, Nigerian president who did threaten the military authorities in Niamey for a military operation in the aftermath of the military coup.
A Proxy War Played into Colonial Power
According to the region’s analysts who were concerned that the consequences of any military operation would be countless, would create a serious security vacuum, a complicated humanitarian crisis, and a permanent political chaos, all these national security factors for instance, did oblige Algeria to react, and clash with France over the Niger crisis because Algiers looks at these series of coups in the region, the result of Paris’s arrogant foreign policy in the region is still driven by the colonial comportment and micromanaging of its allies that continues to create friction and delusion.
Hence, the scenario of the military intervention aimed of restoring legitimacy in Niamey, would be acted by the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, in an implicit option for Paris to punish the new military authorities in Niamey who dared to question France’s colonial power in Niger, and in the region in general; however, Algiers disagrees for such an operation because of its consequences, Algiers’ entire land borders are either on fire or on high tensions, opening a war front on its southern borders it will be a turning point, a doctrine shift in Algeria’s military doctrine that has the legal frame that put in place in the 2020 amended constitution in its article 91-2.
Algeria continues closely monitoring the situation in the entire tumultuous region as it is concerned on what is happening in its southern neighbor country for many considerations, it hastened to warn of the consequences of foreign military intervention in Niger, but without giving up on its main demand that had expressed since the first hours of the coup, the return to the constitutional order and respect of the rule of law.
A Contiuned Colonial Power
The Algerian government reaffirmed its support for the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum as the legitimate President of the Republic of Niger. “The return to the constitutional order should be achieved through peaceful means that would avoid brotherly Niger and the region as a whole from an escalation of insecurity and stability, and our peoples from more tribulations and tragedies.“ It also called for caution and restraint in the face of foreign military intervention intentions. As a result, these options are not excluded and can be resorted to, but they only represent factors that complicate and increase the seriousness of the current crisis.
French interests in Niger were targeted by local protests supporting the coup, as the French embassy was attacked, and they raised slogans calling for an end to French presence in their country, noting that Paris had deported about 1.500 soldiers from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso to Niger. A country is a major source of nuclear facilities in terms of uranium supply of France’s facilities. Algeria's warning of military intervention in Niger came to be distinguished from the French position, which was characterized by much ambiguity after the statement issued by the Elysee Palace after protests stormed the French embassy in Niamey, which threatened to protect its citizens and interests.
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