2023-08-13 15:45:36
Tension currently seems to be on “pause” between the authors of the military coup in Niger and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), made up of 15 countries, which is preparing to intervene in Niger to restore democracy and restore constitutional order.
ECOWAS decided to act following the putschist generals refused to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to his post. The great regional power, Nigeria next door. 220 million inhabitants, the most populous country in the region, was entrusted with the management of the operation.
Nigeria’s president says the use of force is a “last resort”. He hesitates because of the growing opposition in his country to a military intervention in Niger.
And Canada in all this?
Ottawa announced on Saturday that it was suspending all direct funding to the government of Niger, which has received nearly $600 million over the past 20 years.
Canada “strongly condemns the coup attempt” and questions its military aid intended to train its army to fight al-Qaeda and Islamic State jihadists. Since 2013, up to 50 Canadian soldiers have given Nigerien soldiers a few weeks of tactical training every year.
National defense spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande told us on Friday that there was no ongoing training in Niger, but that Canadian soldiers were on site to prepare for possible future training – if conditions allow it. . For the moment, there are no plans to evacuate them.
Canada’s policy like that of the United States and France failed in Niger, the democratically elected government they supported was overthrown… often by soldiers they trained. The website The Intercept reports that the United States has trained at least five members of the Nigerien junta and other military coup leaders implicated in coups elsewhere in the Sahel.
The deteriorating security situation in Africa is an indication that Canadian and Western security and development spending is being misused on the continent. The repeated coups in the Sahel show that the West is failing to defend democracy in the region. Nor has it succeeded in subduing the Islamist fighters. Coming from Libya in 2012, jihadism spread there from Mali.
Towards a regional conflict
A military intervention in Niger might spark a major regional war: Mali and Burkina Faso have warned they will back the Niger junta. The United States and France (and possibly Canada) would be directly or indirectly involved. One thousand five hundred French soldiers and nearly 2,000 American soldiers are deployed in Niger. The Germans and Italians also have some 800 soldiers there each.
Nigerien coup generals see Moscow as a potential ally, prompting protesters to wave Russian flags in the streets of Niamey. The Russian mercenary group Wagner, already active in the Central African Republic, Libya, Sudan and Mali wants to spread throughout the Sahel. Niger and Chad are clearly his next targets.
Democracy in Africa
Democracy in Africa has been said to reduce the risk of corruption by promoting good governance. This is often not the case. South Africa’s post-apartheid democratic regime has proven to be highly corrupt.
Is democracy possible in countries where a majority of the population lives in poverty and is under-educated – many of whom cannot read or write?
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#Coup #Niger #Sahel #edge #abyss
