Is Russia Benefiting from the Coup in Niger?
Channel: Dévoiler
Date: 2023-08-15

In Niger, earlier this month, the government was overthrown by armed forces who arrested the elected president and took power themselves. Following this, a small fraction of Nigeriens, supporters of the coup, gathered in Niamey, the capital city, to voice their approval for the new military regime. Some of them were seen displaying the Russian flag, voicing their contempt for the West, especially France, Niger's former colonial ruler. They were heard chanting praises for Putin and condemning France.

This situation has understandably sparked significant concern in the Western world. Since 2020, the Sahel region – a key, hot, semiarid area extending across Africa just south of the Sahara – has been rocked by coups. Mali's government was toppled in 2020, followed by governmental overthrows in Sudan, Chad, and Guinea in 2021. Burkina Faso experienced a coup the previous year as well. Niger had been viewed as the final stronghold in the Sahel against disorder and instability, and the last regime still in place. The presence of a U.S. drone base and French troops in Niger had been vital in combating the growing threat of West African jihadism. Now, the stability and security in the region are in jeopardy.