West African Coups: French imperialism gets a bloody nose
Backed by broad sectors of the populations, a string of military coups against governments in former French colonies has demonstrated the rising strength of anti-imperialist sentiment directed at France. There is immense popular pressure to resolve the endemic corruption, violence and poverty created by imperialism. Displays of unity by US and European states in condemning the coup plotters, and threats of military intervention by the imperialist-backed ECOWAS bloc of African states, disguise deepening rivalry especially between the US and France. Competition to secure this strategically vital and resource-rich region is opening a new front in the global confrontation between imperialist powers. FRFI calls for imperialist troops and multinational corporations to get out of Africa and for the abolition of unpayable debt.
Niger Coup: French imperialism in crisis
On 26 July, Niger’s elected president and puppet of French imperialism, Mohamed Bazoum, was overthrown by his own presidential guard. He was detained in the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger’s capital city. After a brief standoff, the military fell in line, and Bazoum was officially removed from power. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) was formed as the ruling military junta. General Abdourahamane Tchiani declared himself president. The imperialist backlash was swift, yet as we go to press, popular and regional support for the coup government has forced Niger’s former colonial ruler France to announce it will withdraw its troops from the country. KOTSAI SIGAUKE reports.
On 26 July, Niger’s elected president and puppet of French imperialism, Mohamed Bazoum, was overthrown by his own presidential guard. He was detained in the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger’s capital city. After a brief standoff, the military fell in line, and Bazoum was officially removed from power. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) was formed as the ruling military junta. General Abdourahamane Tchiani declared himself president. The imperialist backlash was swift, yet as we go to press, popular and regional support for the coup government has forced Niger’s former colonial ruler France to announce it will withdraw its troops from the country. KOTSAI SIGAUKE reports.
The US and France immediately condemned the coup. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Niger was a member, also condemned it. ECOWAS suspended Niger and imposed brutal sanctions, causing food and medicine shortages across the country. Nigeria (also an ECOWAS member) cut electricity to Niger, causing blackouts in Niamey. ECOWAS’s initial threats and sanctions were allegedly to protect stability and democracy in Niger.
France and ECOWAS have no interest in protecting democracy or stability. Despite independence from France in 1960, imperialism has continued to ravage the Nigerien people. It is one of the poorest nations in the world: in 2021 it had a Human Development Index of 0.4, ranking it 189th out of 191 nations. 41% of Nigeriens live in extreme poverty.
There are serious contradictions between Niger and its former colonial ruler. France has 30 companies and subsidiaries operating in Niger that profit from exploiting its natural resources. Niger is the seventh largest exporter of uranium in the world and a top exporter of uranium to the EU. 70% of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power, 10-15% of it generated by uranium imported from Niger; in contrast, only 18% of Nigeriens have access to electricity. Orano, a French company, is one of the main looters of uranium in Niger. Through several subsidiaries, it has extracted about 140,000 tonnes of uranium from Niger since 1971. Orano controls 63.4% of Somaïr (a mining company) while the Nigerien state owns only 36.6% through Sopamin, a state-owned company. An Orano mine in the northern town of Arlit left 20 million tonnes of radioactive waste in the area after closing.
‘Democracy’ in Niger
Former President Bazoum, elected in 2021, consistently sided with the French ruling class. Between 2014 and 2022, French troops in the Sahel were engaged in Operation Barkhane, ostensibly to fight rising terrorism while conveniently protecting French assets in the region (see ‘Imperialist intervention in Africa, p9). The operation provoked growing civilian discontent. In November 2021, a group of 1,000 angry protesters blocked a French military convoy in the town of Tera, Western Niger and threw stones at it. French and Nigerien troops responded with tear gas and ‘warning shots’. Three people were killed and 17 were injured. An investigation into the circumstances did not even name the murderers. Bazoum denounced the protesters and apologised to the French military for the ‘campaign that is being waged against them’.
After French troops withdrew from Mali in 2022, President Bazoum invited them into Niger. As a result, France now has around 1,500 troops in Niger, while the US has around 1,000.
When Bazoum raised diesel prices in 2022, the Nigerien population was furious. This, combined with rising anti-French sentiment, led to the formation of the M62 movement, a coalition of NGOs and political groups to campaign against French influence, French troops in the country, and the rising cost of living.
M62 has suffered consistent state repression. In August 2022, a planned peaceful march against Operation Barkhane was banned. In January 2023, Abdoulaye Seydou, a leading M62 activist, was arbitrarily detained. On 14 April, he was sentenced to nine months in prison for ‘dissemination of data likely to disturb public order’. His sentence was overturned in August.
Popular support
On 30 July, days after the coup, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Niamey in support of the CNSP. The French embassy was attacked; windows were smashed, and parts of the embassy set on fire. That day, ECOWAS issued the CNSP with an ultimatum to restore Bazoum within a week or face military invasion. When this deadline passed, tens of thousands of people gathered in Niamey to protest against military intervention and the sanctions against them. ECOWAS and France were strongly denounced.
Burkina Faso and Mali have warned that a declaration of war on Niger would mean war with them and both nations sent warplanes to Niger in preparation. Burkina Faso also sent 300 trucks of food to Niger, defying the sanctions. This partnership has since been solidified with a formal military alliance.
ECOWAS and France have been forced to back down. Despite ECOWAS claims that a ‘D-Day’ for military action had been set, on 25 September, France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced that French troops would withdraw from Niger.
Anti-imperialist resurgence?
The goal of France and ECOWAS is to secure and maintain an ongoing system of neocolonial exploitation. The French ruling class needs a government in Niger that will allow its multinationals to continue to plunder its resources. The planned French withdrawal has been a blow to these objectives.
A wave of anti-imperialism has swept through Niger since the coup. On 19 August, thousands of volunteers queued in Niamey to support the military in the event of an invasion. Several demonstrations have been held outside French and US military bases across the country, many mobilised by M62. The CNSP enjoys a wide base of support from this grassroots element on the streets. In August, they held a meeting with M62, civil society groups and trade unions to discuss their priorities for the nation.
Despite the anti-French rhetoric and protests on the ground there are still contradictions within the new government and between the CNSP and the anti-imperialist movement on the streets. Ali Lamine Zeine, the new Prime Minister of Niger, stated in an interview with the New York Times that he wanted France to stay, contradicting other government members and the protesters. While the mass of Nigeriens want to be free of oppression, the coup government has not yet taken action against the multinationals in Niger. The agreements between Orano and previous Nigerien governments have yet to be revoked and Orano continues to operate. Despite protests outside US Airbase 201, the CNSP has allowed US reconnaissance to resume. There are a variety of class forces involved in the developments in Niger. While the interests of the CNSP and the working class align in regards to driving French troops out of the region and opposing ECOWAS, they do not necessarily align for everything else.
No sanctions! No imperialist wars! Hands off Niger!
FIGHT RACISM! FIGHT IMPERIALISM! 296 October/November 2023
