According to a former diplomat, mistrust of its past colonial overlords was a factor in the ongoing conflict in Niger.
According to former French ambassador Gerard Araud, the military coup in Niger is a result of France’s neocolonial relations with several nations on the continent of Africa.
The crisis in Niger, which started last week when army commander Abdouramane Tchiani toppled democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, is a “rejection of the French presence in the country,” according to comments made by Araud and posted on the news website Euractiv on Thursday.
The diplomat, who is 70 years old, also said that the coup can be interpreted as a rejection of the so-called “Francafrique,” which is the word used to represent Paris’ sphere of influence over former colonies in sub-Saharan Africa. An other “failure” of Europe, according to Araud, is the lack of a coordinated African policy.
Araud, who once served as France’s ambassador to the US, has held a number of prominent diplomatic positions on behalf of France and the UN. He has also previously held the position of director general for political and security activities at the French Ministry of Foreign activities.
The colonial heritage of France, according to him, had sparked a “revolt of the youth” in the sub-Saharan region, with many people believing that national governments are increasingly perceived as Paris’ puppets in Africa. Africans’ mistrust in their established political systems has been exacerbated, he continued, by population growth and rising levels of poverty.
Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated insurgency attacks have persisted in Niger despite increases in foreign security, mainly from France and the United States; this is a factor that is also typically acknowledged as contributing to the country’s political instability.
Tchiani, the commander of the presidential guard in Niger, formally proclaimed himself head of state of the more than 25 million-person country on July 28. After Bazoum won the election against Mahamane Ousmane in 2021, there was a coup attempt just 48 hours before he took office as the leader of the West African state. The presidential guard successfully repelled the coup attempt.
With the Ottoman Algiers invasion in 1830, French influence in Africa, which dates back to the 17th century, significantly grew in the 19th century. In the 1890s, France seized control of a few Nigerian regions. Before it was taken over as a colony in 1922, ethnic groups in the African nation fought back against French rule. In 1960, Niger formally proclaimed its independence.
French military were recognised as “freedom fighters” for putting down rebels in North Mali in 2012 and 2013, according to Araud, who spoke to Euractiv. Nevertheless, France has maintained a position of action in the Sahel region of Africa.
But he went on to say, “Every liberating army becomes, after a while, an occupier.”
