Niger’s armed forces have been bringing in reinforcements to the capital to prepare for a potential invasion, a military source told CNN, just hours after the military junta running the country refused to abide by an influential regional bloc’s deadline to cede power
For context
Niger has been thrown in to political chaos since late last month, when President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responded days later by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.
For further context, this is the new sandbox for world powers to play in. China and Russia have established strong spheres of influence all over Africa, and Niger has more or less been positioned as the linchpin for the US’s regions with good relations. It comes down to access to resources, trade agreements, and tactical positions for military purposes.
No one is objectively the good guys in this sort of thing, but if you live in a NATO nation there are some decidedly “bad guys” that would be overjoyed to see the Junta stabilize as the leadership and kick out the remaining Western countries’ troops and civilian workers
It’s so weird that all these places the global north have been intentionally destabilizing are unstable and sympathetic to (even worse) groups that oppose the west. If only there was an alternative to undermining their democracies and exploiting their people and natural resources.
Let the Niger people and government fail. Often the best teacher is pain. Let them chart their own path for good or evil. Africa can never develop if the West keep treating them like children. Stop all aid, all funds, all trade. Let’s see how well China, Russia and Mali can help them.
Or. Don’t leave them to an even worse imperial power.
Stop wielding aid as a weapon, and repay them for what was stolen without using it to control.
Except ruzzi militaries are literally terrorists lol
