Niger coup is ‘failure of Europe’, former French ambassador says

The coup in Niger is mostly caused by the neocolonial relationship between France and the African continent, former French ambassador Gérard Araud told EURACTIV in an interview, slamming the EU’s lack of unity towards a clear Africa strategy.

Last Wednesday (26 July), a military coup in Niger saw army general Abdourahamane Tiani topple and hold captive the democratically-elected president Mohamed Bazoum.

The crisis stems from “a rejection of the French presence in the country”, Araud told EURACTIV, and local populations’ frustration with the “Françafrique” legacy, a term used to describe the close and “incestuous” economic and diplomatic ties France holds with former African colonies.

Araud, a seasoned ambassador having held posts in the United Nations, Washington and Israel, was formerly director general for political and security affairs at the French Foreign Affairs ministry.

In African nations with a French colonial past, “we are witnessing a revolt of the youth” against both France and their national governments, which are seen to be France’s puppets in the region, Araud said.

According to the diplomat, anger against the French is coupled with a demographic boom and extreme poverty, which has significantly strained national authorities.

Niger coup final nail in France’s Sahel military strategy coffin, experts warn

The Niger coup marks the end of a largely-failed French military ‘Barkhane’ operation in the Sahel, broadly due to a lack of resources, and an underlying sense of neocolonialism, according to experts EURACTIV spoke with.

‘Barkhane’ military operation a failure

France has had a military and economic presence in the Sahel for three centuries, colonising countries including Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Sudan, among others.

Independence in the 1960s did not sever ties with France completely – and the country’s military interventions through the Serval and Barkhane operations over the past 10 years signalled France’s efforts to remain a relevant force in the region.

The 2012-13 Serval operation, which looked to push back jihadist insurgents in the North of Mali, was deemed a success such that French soldiers were welcomed in the country as “freedom-fighters”, Araud told EURACTIV.

“But every liberating army becomes, after a while, an occupier,” the diplomat said.

The nine-year-long Barkhane operation, which was first enacted in 2014, had a broader mandate than Serval, and looked to fight off jihadism across the entire Sahel region. French soldiers “did a tremendous job in incredibly hard circumstances”, yet failed to put an end to jihadist terror, he explained.

So much so French president Emmanuel Macron called for a phase-out of the operation in November 2022.

“I would argue Barkhane actually strengthened jihadists, who allied with other terrorist and ethnic groups whose only obsession is the death of the Western soldier,” Araud said.

This contributed to the spread of narratives across Burkina Faso and Mali – both of which in recent years also experienced military coups – that France actually supported the rise of jihadist groups, the diplomat added.

EU slams arrests of Niger ministers by putschists

The junta that seized power in Niger last week detained senior politicians on Monday (31 July), their party said, defying international calls to restore democratic rule, while fellow military rulers in West Africa expressed their support.

‘Normalise’ relationships

Closing French army barracks in Niger is long overdue, Araud argued: “Having military bases signals wanting to meddle in African affairs.”

In a way, “Niger is to France what Afghanistan is to the US”, he said, adding that it is high time political and economic ties be normalised, and France treat its African counterparts as sovereign nations.

“Leave it to diplomats and companies,” he added, “and get rid of military presence altogether”, continuing that France no longer has any “eminent” role in the region.

The absence of any clear European unity over a shared African strategy also contributes to the chaos the region is currently experiencing, Araud explained. While the EU is a key development aid donor, EU countries do not sing from the same hymn sheet on its approach to the Sahel.

This, he argues, makes for a European “failure”. Germany and Italy, who also had military contingents in Niger, are also having to reassess.

Russia surfing the wave

Did France ultimately lose against Russia, which is spreading far and wide in the region, especially through the private Wagner militia?

“Russia is only surfing the wave”, Araud nuanced, while the White House found no evidence that Russia was behind the coup.

Turning to Wagner mercenaries fits no grand Russian strategy in Africa, he said, adding that it is “merely opportunistic” with no evident economic interests.

The Sahel region is one of the poorest in the world, deprived of significant resources. Even uranium, which is mined by French nuclear mogul Orano, remains an abundant source across the globe, with reserves in Russia.

We are not back to a Cold War situation, he emphasised. “There is a confrontation with Russia, though it is nowhere near as powerful as the USSR.”

Rather, the clashing powers in the region illustrate “an archaic approach to what constitutes power [in the Sahel]” – a dynamic that must change urgently, if more stability is to be found.

Niger coup: France’s Orano confirms nuclear uranium supplies not at risk

The general supply of uranium to France, a key raw material in nuclear fission, is not at risk, nuclear conglomerate Orano said, after Nigerien authorities announced they would freeze French exports.