13:31, 03/08/2023
A coup in a poverty-stricken African country is not unprecedented, but the current geopolitical context gives it global significance.
Niger's military has overthrown the government in a coup, setting the stage for a new confrontation with the West. Niger finds itself in a similar situation to most countries in West Africa, with France using its traditional influence in the region to continue to use its financial and military power to interfere in the internal affairs of West African countries.
For that reason, coups have become more frequent as some protesters seek to demand France's withdrawal and seek to bring Russia deeper into the region, according to political analyst Timur Fomenko on RT.
In the new geopolitical environment, African nations now have increased political space and options to phase out Western influence. Niger, a landlocked, impoverished and war-torn country, though rich in raw materials, is set to become a new frontier.
During the unipolar era of the United States, African countries were once caught in the vortex of the West. Poor, desperate and unstable, many African countries were forced to rely on former colonial powers and the United States for various forms of support.
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| Nigerien protesters gather outside the French Embassy in Niamey on July 30. Photo: AFP |
This is especially true during the “war on terror” period when radical Islamist armed groups threaten the security of people in African countries. French and American special forces have been deployed to fight terrorism in West African countries, with the most obvious example being the horrific kidnapping at a hotel in Mali in 2015.
However, this support, be it financial or military, comes at the cost of African nations being forced to comply with Western ideological terms and conditions – a form of neo-colonialism.
But the world has changed. The backdrop of the war on terror is over, and in its place is a geopolitical environment defined by fierce competition between major powers – primarily the US and its allies – against rivals such as China and Russia.
This environment means that African states now have other “options” to support, allowing them to maximize their own political autonomy and space rather than meeting Western ideological conditions.
This is evidenced by the fact that African countries are reportedly increasingly using the services of Russia’s private military group Wagner for security matters rather than support from the West, while China’s Belt and Road initiative also means that African countries can no longer be “pampered” by organisations such as the IMF.
In such a context, with the military being the strongest political actors in unstable countries like Niger, the opportunity for them to hold power and be protected from Western containment is also because in this international system, the US can no longer conduct direct unilateral military intervention.
This is also reflected in the way governments and militaries in the region have capitalized on the anti-French backlash across West Africa to try to push back against the neo-colonial presence. Within a year, French troops had been driven out of Mali and Burkina Faso. Niger is likely to be next. However, the threat of a French-backed civil war remains.
If the coup in Niger is successful, it is likely that the new government will seek to form a closer relationship with Russia, which could become a new and much less complicated security partner. While China also often provides economic and infrastructure assistance to African countries, as well as guarantees of non-interference and support for national sovereignty.
Niger is of course also strategically important. While it is easy to dismiss it as a landlocked and impoverished country in the middle of the desert, Niger has significant natural resources, including uranium, coal, gold, iron ore, tin, petroleum, molybdenum, salt, and gypsum. Its uranium reserves are among the largest in the world, making it vital for nuclear power.
It is for this reason that France is not prepared to give up Niger without a fight, and a potential proxy conflict could arise. If Western-backed interests in the country are defeated, Niger’s strategic loss in terms of the resources it holds would be enormous, and China would likely gain an advantage over the West in the process.
All of this has turned Niger into a new frontier for great power competition. While it may seem normal to talk about coups and civil wars in Africa, they are actually taking place in a new geopolitical environment that experts refer to as a “new Cold War.”
According to VNA/Tintuc
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