Niger: Junta ramps up criticism of France

Ties between Niger and its former colonial occupier look set to deteriorate further as Niger’s military junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has ramped up criticism of France, according to RFI and agencies on February 14th.

Speaking to the State Radio Television (RTN) in a message to the nation, Tchiani made many criticisms of “France and its West African lackeys.”

During the nearly three-hour broadcast, he implicated France in a range of controversies, including the misappropriation of natural resources and the January 29th attack on the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey.

Referring to the airport attack, Tchiani stated, “It wasn’t the EIGS [Islamic State in the Greater Sahel group]; it wasn’t JNIM [Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, close to al-Qaeda].”

“[I]t was a conglomerate of mercenaries that the French financed, and we know the amount of the funding. The objective was to destroy all our air capabilities.”

The airport is a strategic hub that houses military bases, the headquarters of the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali Joint Force, and a uranium stockpile, which is currently at the centre of a dispute with Orano, a French nuclear company that Niger’s junta has pledged to nationalise.

Although the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, on the evening of January 29th, Tchiani accused France, Benin and the Ivory Coast of “sponsoring” the groups behind the attack.

Tchiana provided no evidence to support these claims; however, Niger’s junta and its allies, Mali and Burkina Faso, have often accused Benin and the Ivory Coast of acting as French proxies over their continued ties to Paris; all five West African countries are former French colonies.

Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are founding members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a cooperation pact which aims to counter the regional jihadist threat through shared intelligence and military resources.

Jihadist violence has been growing in the Sahel region, with groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State expanding their influence across the landlocked region.

Additionally, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have increasingly rejected Western ties in favour of seeking security and strategic partnerships with Russia, usually in exchange for Moscow’s access to natural resources, such as gold.

Until Tchiani took office following a 2023 military coup, Niger had been a Western ally in the Sahel region. However, since being installed as junta leader, Tchiani has increasingly aligned his country with Russia in an attempt to fight growing jihadist violence.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org