Until recently, the average European knew nothing about Niger State or the region as a whole, let alone knowing it. This often turbulent region is of increasing importance to Europe and the world.
This article was first published on Gazette-Oetserreich.at
Niger’s history is eventful. The former French colony became independent in 1960. The country, whose borders were drawn arbitrarily by former colonial rulers, is home to at least nine different peoples with different languages and cultures. Apart from French as the official language, common religion, Islam, and severe poverty, these ethnic groups have little in common.
Based on estimates, 95% to 99% of Niger’s approximately 26 million citizens practice Islam. Half of the population is under 15 years of age. On an average, seven children are born to a single mother and the literacy level is around 30%. Population growth is about 4% per year.
This brief count also shows the colossal failure of many organizations working under the guise of development aid: while they are making sincere efforts to curb child and infant mortality, they are not taking care of the country’s perhaps more important literacy Are.
It is hard to believe that Niger State is one of the richest countries on the continent. Not rich in income, but rich in natural resources. Nigeria is one of the world’s top uranium exporters. It also has large, recently discovered petroleum reserves and is known to have abundant gold deposits.
Crude oil, which the European Union has condemned as an antediluvian energy source, holds the Nigerian asset of tomorrow: Africa’s longest pipeline will bring crude from drilling fields to a refinery and then to ports in Benin.
The general mood in Niger is one of hostility towards the former colonial powers. Not least because France retained mining rights when the country gained independence. France still has many military bases, which is also seen as an audacity. Besides France, other countries have established military bases on Nigerian soil: Germany and the United States. The US has established its largest airspace for combat drones, which is why the country has a very wide interest in their development. Missions in Mali were flown or organized from bases on Nigerian national territory. The continued existence of these bases is now in question. The new rulers of the state have canceled all cooperation agreements with France in technical and military matters.
Interestingly, some of the soldiers who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on 26 July were trained in the United States. In the past three years, US-trained military personnel have also been involved in coups in neighboring countries of Niger. There are already voices that believe (sometimes jokingly) that if the United States finally stops training officers for African armies, it will help bring peace to the region.
Due to the low level of literacy, political propaganda, as it is known in Western-oriented countries, is hardly possible and hence the disapproval that has existed since the colonial era is associated with a deep distrust of the West.
One of the reasons for distrust of the West, and especially the United States, is the “fight against Islamism” declared by Western countries. Although Niger is almost entirely Muslim, it is not Islamist. Above all, the jihadist militia “Boko Haram” is a problem for the entire region. However, the United States and France are believed to have not been able to overcome the problem with the Islamists. Cooperation with the United States in this regard was terminated some time ago and they turned to Russia, and specifically to the “Wagner Group”. The deployment of the Russian mercenary force was successful in a short time, thus strengthening the argument against further intensifying cooperation with the West.
The presence of Western politicians in various African countries, especially the German Foreign Minister Bierbock, which was considered strange and intrusive, did not go unnoticed in Niger.
The sum of these personal aspects is now leading to political alienation from the West without being hostile. One already has better experiences, especially with companies in Russia and China, and one does not have to pay heed to the preachy appearances of politicians.
In any case, it is worth noting that the new military-backed government already has the support and recognition of various neighboring countries of Niger, while the ousted president is supported by the US and the European Union. The de facto government of Niger does not want to recognize Western states, which is why it does not intend to react any further to the termination of the cooperation agreements mentioned above.
This support from Western states and organizations makes the ousted president domestically unpopular and makes a possible comeback impossible.
