Every now and again the newspapers herald a coup or military takeover in some obscure part of Africa in some obscure part of the newspaper; eagle-eyed readers familiarised themselves with strange-sounding countries in political turmoil. Over the past four years, the reader has added Mali, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea to his Lexicon. Last year, they got to know Burkina Faso twice. So, when they eyed the brisk report announcing a military takeover in Niger on the 27th of July, it came with no real shock.
That all changed when crowds of Nigeriens congregated at the French Embassy in Niger, the Russian Tricolour aloft, and chanting “Down with France!” and” Long Live Putin! Long Live Russia!” Pro-junta groups demanded the immediate intervention of Russia’s PMC Wagner group and attacked the Frech Embassy. By the 30th of July, a coalition of ten neighbouring nations threatened to “use force” if the elected government is not restored! How did this happen? Is this yet another sign of France’s waning influence over the Sahel?
In the Scramble for Africa by the European powers in the latter half of the 19th Century, France acquired the lion’s share of North Africa. Back home, Frenchmen proudly declared their allegiance to Liberté, égalité, and fraternité, but in African eyes, French rule stood for forced labour and exploitation of the Indigenous peoples. However, the Empire was not to survive the rising tide of anti-colonialism in its African territories, and by the 1960s and 70s, the colonies began to declare Independence one by one. The French leadership, however, was reluctant to let go of the colonies and instituted a system of control and exploitation that persists to the present day.
The most obvious form of control lies in the currency followed by most former French colonies: The West African Franc and Central African Franc, known collectively as the CFA Franc. The currency was linked to the Franc (now to the Euro) at a fixed rate.
Over time, however, the French Government undervalued the CFA Franc. This devaluation ensured that the French could source natural resources and products from the African nations at unreasonably low prices, enriching French businesses and crushing the competitiveness of African industry. African Oil, Uranium, and food sustained the postwar French Economy. Until very recently, the Nations using the CFA Franc had to deposit 50% of their currency reserves in the French Central Bank; how these funds were used was not disclosed to even the CFA Franc member states, but it was likely used to reinvest back in Africa to profit the French government. French companies continue to dominate the markets of the CFA Franc Member states and exploit the cheap labour while enjoying the benefits of the stable currency and the ability to send the profits back home easily. This has led to billions of Dollars of Capital flight from some of the poorest nations on the planet. An author had phrased it well: French decolonization of West Africa consisted of the French moving out of the offices labelled Gouverneur Général, and down the hall into the offices labelled Conseiller Technique.
The whole enterprise was propped up by an African elite who profited enormously from the French investments and presence. These elites dominate the political landscape of the CFA Franc countries and ensure continued support for the exploitative system.
France had stationed several thousand troops in the region and played a crucial role in fighting off Ethnic and Islamist Rebels and safeguarding Democratic processes. When an Islamist insurgency occupied most of Northern Mali in 2014, France initiated Operation Barkhane to retake those territories.
In recent years, however, there has been rising resistance to French Economic and Military policy, a trend that the Armies of the local countries have taken full advantage of. A coup toppled the government of Mali in 2021, and France announced ¬that it would withdraw from the country the following year, shifting Barkhane to Niger. The government of Burkina Faso too fell in a coup in 2022 and compelled France to pull its forces from the country. In both cases, the coup leaders sought out the Wagner Group to supplant the French in their anti-insurgency operations, despite their record of vicious human rights violations and their tendency to exploit the natural resources of host nations. Meanwhile, French relations with North African nations too have also taken a hit in recent years.
Then, on the 26th of July 2023, the President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was detained and his presidential guard, led by Abdourrahamane Tchiani, seized power. Niger is an impoverished West African nation and President Bazoum’s accession to power in 2021 marked the first peaceful transition of power in the history of the landlocked country. In the coming days, the Constitution was dissolved, a curfew imposed, and political activity halted.
Then on the 27th of July, pro-coup demonstrators gathered, flying the Russian flag, demanding the intervention of the Wagner Group, and denounced the French presence in the country. Three days later, protestors, flying the Russian and Nigerien tricolours, set ablaze the walls and gates of the French embassy and voiced their infamous slogan: “Down with France, Long live Putin!”
In an unprecedented step, the ECOWAS, a powerful West African economic union, suspended Niger’s membership and issued an ultimatum to the Nigerien junta that President Bazoum be reinstated within a week or else they would take all steps to restore constitutional order and that “such steps may include the use of force.” Burkina Faso and Mali issued a joint communiqué in support of Niger’s new government and stated that any such military action in Niger would be taken as a declaration of war on them as well.
However the situation may play out in the coming days, one thing is for certain: The coup in Niger has proven to be yet another blow to France in what was once a jealously guarded sphere of influence. Unlike in the case of Mali and Burkina Faso, the military leaders of Niger are expressly vocal in their opposition to France and support for Russia, making an exit of French troops and their replacement by Wagner’s forces more or less inevitable, greatly expanding Russia’s sphere of Influence at the expense of the French.