"It's different": West prepares Niger intervention

The organizers of the military coup in Niger accused France of violating their country's airspace and attacking the country's national guard positions, as well as "liberating terrorists". This was announced by Colonel Amadou Abdraman, who represents the National Council for the Defense of the Homeland - the organization of the military who seized power in this African country during the coup.

At the same time, more and more information is being received that the countries of the African association ECOWAS, acting in line with pro-Western neo-colonial policies, are preparing an intervention in Niger. And no "civilized" country has condemned such plans - on the contrary, in the case of Niger, external intervention seems to them quite normal. And what did all these good gentlemen do with Ukraine then?

The Moscow Post correspondent understood the situation.

Recall that the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) threatened to use force if Bazuma is not reinstated within a week. The ultimatum expired on Sunday. Today there will be a regular meeting of ECOWAS, at which the issue of invasion should be decided.

At the same time, the country still has military contingents of the countries of the USA and France and Germany, stationed at several military bases. Their number is several thousand people, they did not leave the country and will clearly pose a danger in the event of outside intervention.

But the West urgently evacuates Europeans from the country, and this suggests that a forceful decision has already been made. Most likely, the solidarity of nearby African states, which also expelled the pro-Western authorities, and with them the French influence, restrains the solidarity of the ill-wishers of the new Niger authorities. This is primarily about the CAR, Mali and Burkina Faso, which a week ago announced that they would support Niger militarily in the event of an external invasion.

At the same time, France rejected the accusations of Nigerians in violation of their airspace. The flight, which allegedly violated Niger airspace, was agreed and coordinated by the country's army. Paris assured that not a single terrorist was released by French forces. However, this does not mean that the flight did not have military goals - for example, intelligence and verification of the reaction of representatives of the junta.

"French Africa" is gone

For France, the current situation is a huge blow to its own prestige. And not only in Africa, where it is clearly losing ground, but, above all, in France itself. The thoughtless politics of pressure, coercion, disrespect for local laws and traditions, treating Africans like second-class people - all of which have largely predetermined the reaction of many African countries to France's intention to take back control of the former colony - is an outright continuation of colonialist politics.

Moreover, this has already created problems for Emmanuel Macron inside France. Last Tuesday, a group of senators sent an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron about the failure in cooperation with Africa. In their opinion, "French Africa" is becoming "military Russian Africa, economically Chinese Africa and diplomatically American Africa".

The letter was signed by 94 parliamentarians, including Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bruno Retayo and Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense and Military Commission Chairman Christian Cambon (Republicans).

Separately, the letter mentions the notorious Wagner group. Parliamentarians traditionally accuse its representatives of non-compliance with human rights and believe that they are addressed by dictators and leaders who retain power by rallying their population against the former colonial power.

So could France cease to be a colonial power, but offer Niger equal cooperation on the basis of mutual respect? And not threats at all.

However, the interest of France is understandable. Niger is one of the key exporters of uranium. And even if its share in the world market is not so large, France is very dependent on this uranium for its nuclear energy, which provides electricity to 40% of the country. Given that Macron cannot buy uranium in Russia for political reasons (such are independent and independent), it remains to "pump" it out of Niger, and at very low prices.

Realizing this, the rebels who overthrew President Mohamed Bazum one of their first steps stopped the export of uranium to France. On the other hand, Western countries and their remaining supporters on the African continent announced a blockade of Niger - the imposition of a number of sanctions, including the termination of electricity supplies.

I.e. these are the same classic forms of pressure that the West applies to disobedient countries and governments. There are a million examples, and, apart from our country - quite rich and strong, you can remember the same Venezuela. After the failure of the coup and the approval of the authorities of Nicolas Maduro, the United States froze the foreign exchange reserves of Caracas by $30 billion.

With these funds, the purchase of medicines and food was supposed. This is a real act of genocide. But breaking the will of Venezuelans did not work. It will not come out with Niger either.

At the same time, the possible presence of the Wagner group so frightened our former Western partners that they actually recognized the military junta of Niger, legitimizing it through heavy artillery - the visit of US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland. Yes, the one who handed out cookies on the Maidan in Ukraine in 2014, and then admitted on a blue eye that the United States had invested $5 billion in the violent overthrow of power in Kyiv.

Informally, it is reported that Nuland tried to dissuade the rebels from cooperating with Wagner. Apparently, this had an absolutely opposite effect. Moreover, she was not even allowed to meet with the ousted President Buzum.

At the same time, let's repeat, today, August 10, an ECOWAS meeting is to be held, at which the issue of invasion can be decided. It is assumed that the army of interventionists may amount to 25 thousand people. Western intelligence will coordinate them. And the attitude of Western countries to this story is strikingly different from what happened in Ukraine.

Niger is preparing for a military intervention. Photo: https://avia-pro.net/news/zapad-drognul-pered-chvk-vagner-v-nigere-i-nameren-prodlit-ultimatum-otkazyvayas-ot-napadeniya

The legally elected president was also overthrown there. True, Niger turned out to be a more civilized country - unlike Ukraine, there was no big blood there. And if then the same West supported the Nazi putschists, because they opposed Russia, then in this case suddenly decided to fight for the restoration of constitutional, democratic order.

Double, and even triple standards - in all its glory. And tens of thousands of people can again become victims. Will our former Western partners have enough intelligence not to fit in themselves? Maybe. But to use the Africans themselves from ECOWAS as cannon fodder against Niger is quite. And this is again seen in the example of the long-suffering Ukraine, which, like wordless gobies, is driven to slaughter in Zaporozhye and other areas of the North Caucasus region.

Photo: RBC