Niger’s People, Not ECOWAS Nor Western Powers, Should Determine Their Fate

By: Kayhan Int’l

It is almost two weeks since the coup in Niger – the 5th in the past 50 years – ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and suspended the constitution in the West African country of 26 million people of whom 99 percent are Muslims and who deeply resent the stranglehold of former colonial master France as well as neo-colonial power, the US, over their homeland of rich natural resources, especially uranium.

This is the reason we are witnessing the almost daily burning of the French flag by thousands of demonstrators who are vociferously supporting Abdourahmane Tchiani, the commander of the presidential guard, who declared himself head of transitional government which on Tuesday named former economy minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as Niger’s new prime minister.

We believe the will of the people should be respected, and if they have decided to dump the person who was elected head of state in 2021 after the decade-long presidency of the popular civilian leader, Mahamadou Issoufou, then neither France and the US nor the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have any right to reinstate Bazoum through any measures, whether economic-political pressures or military threats.

It is also important to note that Niger’s two important neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso, which over the past few years have expelled the exploitative French from their soil, have clearly stated that they will not allow ECOWAS to take any meddling step in the interests of Paris and Washington and against the will of the people of Niger. 

The change of guard in Niamey is definitely a blow to both France and the US, which together have thousands of troops in Niger, and the new rulers have called on the two ‘occupation’ powers to leave the country. 

Niger is the world’s sixth-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer, and under Bazoum, it was being exploited to the maximum by the West.

It is heartening to hear that General Tchiani refused to meet the US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland during her secret visit to Niamey from which she returned fuming and frustrated with threats of cutting of US assistance if what she uttered out of sheer hypocrisy ‘democracy’ (read: the West’s yoke) is not restored. 

The Islamic Republic for its part fully supports the will of the people of Niger and is hopeful the military authorities would at the earliest arrange elections for the formation of a civilian government that represents the people and definitely not the vested interests of any foreign power.

Iran has its embassy in Niamey, which unfortunately under the US-French pressure could not set up its embassy in Tehran, despite the fact that in April 2013 then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had paid a state visit to Niger and held fruitful talks with the then President Mahamadou Issoufou, whose efforts to expand ties with Iran were foiled by France.