Hommam Al Nassim 
The events in Niger summarize the nature of the conflict in West Africa in general and provide a model for the Russian-American geopolitical rivalry and the shifts in the international balance of power after France left one of its old colonies.
Niger remained on the sidelines of the political event for two decades despite the uranium mines invested by France, and the gold mines did not make any difference in the features of the country that was based on agriculture, and the main difference appeared with the activity of extremist groups that formulated the political equation in Niger, the feature of political turmoil did not leave this country, which has witnessed three elections since 2011, accompanied by several failed coup attempts that ended last year with the success of General Abderrahmane Chiani in reaching power.
American paradox
The first to lose from the events in Niger was France, which withdrew its troops from the economically and politically exhausted country, but the foreign military presence or even through investments remained in Niger, and the paradox posed by the issue of combating terrorism continued, as the United States appears deep in the picture, which becomes clearer with its use of Niger as a primary base for monitoring extremist groups along the line from the Red Sea in Ethiopia to Mauritania and Senegal, although Niger was not home to extremist groups such as “Bako”. Haram”, and the challenges of terrorism that have emerged since 2000 did not turn into a real confrontation until after 2015 when Niger embarked on international military cooperation to combat terrorism.
In practice, the military coup came two years after the first major terrorist operation that took place on March 17, 2021, and killed 58 people in the west of the country, and despite the Western military presence in general, Niger remained within the circle of violence with the rest of the African Sahel countries, as the military presence and the use of US “soft power” through aid did not stop terrorism, and could not break the cycle of poverty and economic crises despite the wealth that Niger can benefit from.
The previous table shows that Niger represents more than one base for fighting terrorism, it is a key fulcrum, especially for the United States and France, but this spread draws the features of another war at the economic level, as the battles neutralized all investments in Niger, and it was clear that the issue of “neutralizing” wealth is directly related to depriving companies in Russia and China of investment in that region, Niger, which has large reserves of uranium and gold, is still captive to drought and desertification, and conflicts in the areas of gold and other wealth have become part of From the map of violence in Niger, the following table provides a preliminary picture of the size of the economic deficit despite all Western interventions:
Russian-American friction
Just four days after the terrorist attack in Moscow that took place on March 22, the head of the military junta in Niger, General Abdurrahman Tien, held a telephone conversation with President Putin, to confirm Washington’s fears of the transformations taking place in the country, as a geographical triangle that includes Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger appeared in the face of the Western model in the African Sahel, and the announcement of the military council in Niger to terminate the agreement that allows US forces to operate in the country came days after the visit of a US delegation; The US military command in Africa, General Michael Langley, and Moley, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and the delegation criticized the military council and its lack of transparency about who will participate in governance in the future, as the US administration did not condemn the July 26 coup in Niger, and only called on the military council to return to the democratic track, and in return the military council did not demand that the United States evacuate its bases as they did with France.
The American calm that followed the coup can be seen by the nature of the expected friction with Russia, as Niger has a pivotal location in West Africa, and has borders with seven countries, and the vision of the United States was summarized in two points:
- First, Niger could serve as a bulwark against the spread of jihadist groups that have destabilized the region, making it cooperate intensively with them.
- Second, it is a zone of contact with Chad and Libya, two countries that are witnessing an international tug-of-war between Washington and Moscow, and if Libya is the tensest point, Chad is key to the conflict in Sudan.
The military presence at Air Base 101 in Niamey and Air Base 201 near Agadez is considered important by the Pentagon, as these bases have facilitated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions targeting jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The other aspect of the US military presence remains the most important, whatever the justifications for combating terrorism, titles can be raised, but it is clear that the conflict in Niger is a form of “liquidation” carried out by Washington to its international competitors on the African continent, especially that the coup in Niger coincides with reports of increasing Russian influence in West Africa, and what is actually happening is the collapse of the post-Cold War international order in Africa, where Russia bypasses (and in other contexts). China) is the Western hegemony in the Sahel, which in another way demonstrates the failure of the counterterrorism model and in the American and European machinery in general.
Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, major political changes have taken place that enhance the role of the global South at the global level, and the Russian-African summit in the presence of Putin confirmed Russia’s recognition of the importance of Africa, and the trend in Niger highlights the shift in the axes of international conflict, and new directions within the framework of cooperation that can carry an ambitious situation in Africa to face challenges outside the American model, and in a way that makes coordination with Moscow the focus of the context of new African relations with the world.
Written by Mazen Bilal
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