Regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened Niger with invasion to overthrow the new military leadership on behalf of Paris and Washington. Authorities of uranium rich Niger already warned French troops not to leave their military bases.
However, author and historian Dr Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, Texas, said the USA and NATO were too tied up in Ukraine to credibly threaten the West African country directly.
Western leaders’ stated fears for democracy in Niger hide their true lust for the West African nation’s resources. On Thursday, West African regional bloc ECOWAS announced it was preparing a military invasion of Niger to reinstate ousted president Mohamed Bazoum.
The military intervention plan was floated by Alassane Ouattara, president of Cote d’Ivoire — who himself came to power in a coup d’etat led by French troops in 2010.
But the Nigerien military forged ahead with forming a new transitional government heedless of those threats. The USA and European hand-wringing over democracy in Niger masked Western leaders’ true motives.
Military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to address the military takeover in Niger ought to be an option of last resort, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday.
ECOWAS hinted at the possibility of military intervention in Niger, after Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani ousted and arrested President Mohamed Bazoum last month.
The military leadership have since agreed to begin talks with ECOWAS, new Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine reportedly said.
On July 26, Niger’s presidential guard ousted and detained President Bazoum. The guard’s commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the president of the caretaker CNSP-led government.
Another Western concern was the use of Nigerien airspace, now closed flights from Europe to Nigeria, the economic giant of West Africa. This is causing airlines to pay more for fuel, passengers to pay more for tickets.
The USA would have difficulty putting pressure on Niger’s new government because its plate is full with other overseas adventures.
But, at Center of Niger’s Coup is one of America’s Favorite Generals: Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, long courted by Washington as a partner against Islamist extremism, has emerged as the main diplomatic channel between the USA and the junta.
Brig. General Barmou undertook his military training in the USA at Fort Moore, Columbus, Georgia and at the National Defense University (ND) which operates under the Guidance of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He also collaborated with U.S. Special Forces. Brig. General Bardou and his team are categorized by The Wall Street Journal as the good guys.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point Africa WW III News 2023.
Africa will one day regret for not having its own nuclear weapons to protect itself from the colonialists and the imperialists who are dissatisfied with the independence of African nations. These imperialists will one day threaten African nations with nuclear weapons unless they’re allowed to control African nations and their resources. A contemporary example is America using its military might to illegally occupying part of Syria and stealing oil belonging to the poor people of Syria. For African nations to be safe there’s the need for African countries to have a collective nuclear umbrella. They earlier Africa starts working to… Read more »