The United States, which still maintains a thousand soldiers in Niger, has taken the initiative to try to find a way out of the dangerous situation created by the coup on July 26 in the African country. In addition to sending a high-ranking emissary to Niamey to negotiate with the military junta, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, insisted yesterday that the diplomatic route is “preferable” to an armed intervention.
The US involvement in Niger shows the concern of the Biden Administration at the possibility of Moscow further advancing its pawns in the Sahel, which has become a kind of second front in the struggle that Putin is waging with the West in Ukraine, in another expression of the new cold war of the 21st century. The step taken by Washington also highlights the impotence of France, weighed down by colonial resentments and the frustrating experience of its recent anti-jihadist deployments in several countries of the Sahel.
Blinken gave interviews to Radio France International (RFI) and to the British BBC. In perfect French, the head of US diplomacy said that Washington supports the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) “to restore constitutional order in Niger.” Blinken emphasized that “we acted diplomatically to support these efforts,” and at no time did he mention military support, not even logistical support, in the event of a possible use of force, nor did he cite the ultimatum issued by the neighbors.
The Secretary of State indicated that he was in permanent contact with the leaders of ECOWAS and other African countries, as well as “with our partners in Europe, including France.” “What we see in Niger is devastating and offers nothing to the country and its people,” he continued. On the contrary, this disruption of the constitutional order puts us and other countries in a position where we must stop our aid to Niger, which will do nothing for the Nigerien people.”
When asked if diplomacy is better than military intervention, Blinken did not hesitate: “It is certain that diplomacy is the preferable means to resolve this situation. It is what Cedeao is looking for, it is what we are looking for; We support ECOWAS efforts to restore constitutional order”. The Secretary of State did not want to speculate on whether the US will be forced to withdraw its troops, which are partly operating out of a drone base. “I cannot pronounce myself on this matter of the future,” he replied. What is essential is the return to the constitutional order; it’s what we work on. Then we’ll see.”
Before the BBC, Blinken added other interesting reflections. According to him, Moscow was not behind the coup, but it is trying to take advantage of it. “I think that what happened and continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but they are trying to take advantage of it,” he said. “In each of the places where Wagner has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed,” he pointed out. Security has increased instead of decreased.”
Blinken’s interviews were released only hours after the delicate mission of his number two, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, who traveled to the Nigerien capital, but was unable to meet with the leader of the coup and self-proclaimed new head of state, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who until July 26 commanded the presidential guard of the deposed Mohamed Bazoum. Nuland was also unable to meet with the latter.
The emissary from Washington was able to see the new chief of the General Staff of Niger, General Moussa Salaou Barmou. The talks, according to Nuland, “were extremely frank and, at times, quite difficult.” The US undersecretary presented her interlocutors with several options for the coup leaders to back down. “I wouldn’t say that this offer was considered in any way,” she opened up.
The US efforts occurred in the context of regional contacts and the summit to be held tomorrow in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, by the ECOWAS heads of state to decide which path to follow. The military junta in Niamey is firm and did not even allow the arrival of another ECOWAS delegation. The coup plotters argued that “the current context of anger and revolt among the populations as a result of the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS does not allow us to welcome the delegation with the serenity and security required.”
The new masters of the situation in Niamey offered a sign of defiance by appointing a civilian prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, in what was seen as a first step towards the appointment of a transitional government, naturally overseen by the military.
The silence of Emmanuel Macron, the president of what was a colonial power in Niger and neighboring countries, is resounding, even more so considering that Paris still has 1,500 soldiers in a base next to Niamey, a contingent that should have been the nucleus of the residual anti-jihadist force after the conclusion of the Barjan operation. The French head of state follows the events and holds meetings by videoconference from the summer residence of Fort de Brégançon, on the Mediterranean coast. Part of the Government is on vacation, but the ministers should not travel more than a two-hour flight from Paris to be able to travel quickly to the capital in the event of a Cabinet meeting.
There is an increasingly unanimous consensus in France, among politicians and the military, that, barring an unexpected twist, an era is being turned. Paris has neither the moral authority nor the means to impose a solution on Niger and stabilize the Sahel. The events of recent years speak for themselves. France has seen the domino theory take shape, with the consecutive fall of governments it supported.
In the French press, comments that abound in the feeling of failure and inevitable retreat are not ceased to be published. The Catholic newspaper La Croix warned yesterday in its front page editorial that France should not use force in Niger, not even in support of ECOWAS. “Damaged in the Sahel for its colonial past and its supposed impotence before the jihadists, it would suffer an even stronger rejection,” the newspaper warned.
