Niger’s president defends French involvement in the Sahel region

Niger’s president has defended France’s actions in the troubled Sahel region, saying Paris has been a victim of propaganda and populist anti-colonialism.

“It is true that French policy in Africa is not a great success right now,” President Mohamed Bazoum, who has emerged as a staunch ally of the West in the region, told the Financial Times.

“But is it France’s fault? I don’t think so. France is an easy target for populist discourse of certain opinions on social media, especially among African youth.

Anti-French sentiment is strong in many former French colonies in the Sahel, a semi-arid strip south of the Sahara Desert that has been fueled by jihadist violence by groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Paris has been accused of fomenting the crisis in Libya, failing to suppress the jihadist threat and supporting unpopular leaders. Mali, which expelled France after two coups earlier in 2021, has contracted Russia’s Wagner mercenary group to help fight the insurgency. There are concerns that Burkina Faso, now under military rule, could follow suit. Niger’s president said he believed the regime in Ouagadougou when he said Wagner was not in Burkina.

Bazoum said Wagner has been ineffective in Mali, where atrocities have been alleged by human rights groups. Instability had increased in the north of the country since Wagner’s arrival, he said, pushing refugees into both Niger and Algeria.

On France, he said: “Its opponents want to present an image of France as a neo-colonial power. Some people cling to clichés, which are not true, but which are very useful for propaganda.”

Bazoom downplayed domestic criticism of his decision to increase the French military presence in Niger, saying that intelligence from Paris was a great help in his war on terror in Niger. France has a large military base in Niamey while the US has a drone base near the northern city of Agadez.

Terrorist activity continues to grow in Niger, much of it spreading along the border with Burkina Faso, where, by some estimates, the government controls only 40 percent of the territory. “In Burkina, things have gotten worse over the past year. It is a story of deterioration,” Bazoum said.

Ibrahim Yahya Ibrahim, a senior Sahel analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Bazoum’s pro-Western stance had received a mixed reception at home, where he had taken “quite a hit”. “The anti-French discourse that has spread in Mali and Burkina Faso is also present in Niger,” he said.

Ibrahim said that Bazoum should be given credit for improving security in Niger, especially at a time when jihadists were gaining a foothold in the region, as well as for his stand against corruption. But they have had little success in improving education in a country with one of the world’s lowest literacy rates, Ibrahim said. He added that the team around the president was “weak”.

Bazum’s election in 2021 marked Niger’s first democratic transition since independence from France in 1960 and he has come to be seen as a key Western ally in the fight against both terrorism and creeping military rule.

Antony Blinken this year became the first US Secretary of State to visit Niger in the country’s history, underscoring its growing strategic importance.

“Niger is a young democracy in a challenging part of the world, but it has stayed true to the democratic values ​​we share,” Blinken told his hosts during his visit to Niamey, where he spoke about additional humanitarian aid to Sahelian countries. Had promised to give 150 million dollars.

Niger remains a fragile democracy and one of the world’s poorest countries. According to the UK’s Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell, who has also visited Niger this year, about 500 football pitches of arable land are being lost to desertification every day.

Bajoum, whose administration was troubled by an attempted coup two days before his inauguration in 2021, said institutions were strengthening despite persistent problems of instability, poverty and hunger in some parts of the country. He said there was “zero chance” of a military takeover.

Niger’s president has defended France’s actions in the troubled Sahel region, saying Paris has been a victim of propaganda and populist anti-colonialism.

“It is true that French policy in Africa is not a great success right now,” President Mohamed Bazoum, who has emerged as a staunch ally of the West in the region, told the Financial Times.

“But is it France’s fault? I don’t think so. France is an easy target for populist discourse of certain opinions on social media, especially among African youth.

Anti-French sentiment is strong in many former French colonies in the Sahel, a semi-arid strip south of the Sahara Desert that has been fueled by jihadist violence by groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Paris has been accused of fomenting the crisis in Libya, failing to suppress the jihadist threat and supporting unpopular leaders. Mali, which expelled France after two coups earlier in 2021, has contracted Russia’s Wagner mercenary group to help fight the insurgency. There are concerns that Burkina Faso, now under military rule, could follow suit. Niger’s president said he believed the regime in Ouagadougou when he said Wagner was not in Burkina.

Bazoum said Wagner has been ineffective in Mali, where atrocities have been alleged by human rights groups. Instability had increased in the north of the country since Wagner’s arrival, he said, pushing refugees into both Niger and Algeria.

On France, he said: “Its opponents want to present an image of France as a neo-colonial power. Some people cling to clichés, which are not true, but which are very useful for propaganda.”

Bazoom downplayed domestic criticism of his decision to increase the French military presence in Niger, saying that intelligence from Paris was a great help in his war on terror in Niger. France has a large military base in Niamey while the US has a drone base near the northern city of Agadez.

Terrorist activity continues to grow in Niger, much of it spreading along the border with Burkina Faso, where, by some estimates, the government controls only 40 percent of the territory. “In Burkina, things have gotten worse over the past year. It is a story of deterioration,” Bazoum said.

Ibrahim Yahya Ibrahim, a senior Sahel analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Bazoum’s pro-Western stance had received a mixed reception at home, where he had taken “quite a hit”. “The anti-French discourse that has spread in Mali and Burkina Faso is also present in Niger,” he said.

Ibrahim said that Bazoum should be given credit for improving security in Niger, especially at a time when jihadists were gaining a foothold in the region, as well as for his stand against corruption. But they have had little success in improving education in a country with one of the world’s lowest literacy rates, Ibrahim said. He added that the team around the president was “weak”.

Bazum’s election in 2021 marked Niger’s first democratic transition since independence from France in 1960 and he has come to be seen as a key Western ally in the fight against both terrorism and creeping military rule.

Antony Blinken this year became the first US Secretary of State to visit Niger in the country’s history, underscoring its growing strategic importance.

“Niger is a young democracy in a challenging part of the world, but it has stayed true to the democratic values ​​we share,” Blinken told his hosts during his visit to Niamey, where he spoke about additional humanitarian aid to Sahelian countries. Had promised to give 150 million dollars.

Niger remains a fragile democracy and one of the world’s poorest countries. According to the UK’s Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell, who has also visited Niger this year, about 500 football pitches of arable land are being lost to desertification every day.

Bajoum, whose administration was troubled by an attempted coup two days before his inauguration in 2021, said institutions were strengthening despite persistent problems of instability, poverty and hunger in some parts of the country. He said there was “zero chance” of a military takeover.