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The elected government of Niger, one of Africa's poorest countries, was France's main partner in the volatile Sahel region and maintained a prudent distance from Mali and Burkina Faso, which have been openly anti-French since the coups they suffered in 2021 and 2022.
France has 1,500 troops deployed in Niger and significant economic interests in uranium mining, a situation that could change from now on.
This Thursday, the coup junta—organized within the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CLSP)—accused France in a statement of landing a military aircraft at Niamey International Airport, despite the border closure decreed the previous night by the military.
The following day, the junta issued another, harsher statement, warning against "any foreign military intervention" in collaboration with "some former dignitaries sheltered in foreign ministries," without providing further details. Social media reported the presence of French soldiers in the Nigerian capital, Niamey.
The Niger coup comes amid growing anti-French sentiment in the Sahel, erupting in Mali and Burkina Faso, whose coup governments have expelled French forces from the Barkhane counterterrorism mission in recent months.
The French military then sought refuge in Niger and Chad to continue fighting terrorism from there, but their future in Niger is now uncertain.
Although Niger did not participate in the Russia-Africa summit held this week in St. Petersburg, the Russian press reported that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had met with Nigerien representatives there.
Also with representatives from Mali, where Wagner has been performing for months, and from the Central African Republic, where Russian mercenaries will be in charge of security during Sunday's constitutional referendum.
At the same time, Telegram channels close to Wagner's were broadcast on audio of an alleged statement by Prigozhin supporting the coup d'état in Niger. "What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the Nigerien people against the colonizers," he commented.
Deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum stated in an interview with Jeune Afrique last May that he was concerned about Wagner's influence and the possibility of a coup backed by them. "We are watching you," he warned the "people" who, he said, wanted to "use" Wagner for that purpose.
In his first appearance, the self-proclaimed leader of the CLSP coup junta, General Abdourahamane Tiani, criticized Bazoum for his refusal to cooperate with Burkina Faso and Mali, even though the three countries share the African territory with the most jihadist activity, thus opening the door to closer ties with their neighbors.
The three countries share the area known as "the three borders," where the three countries meet. This vast, dangerous desert territory is experiencing a resurgence of jihadism, with weekly attacks perpetrated by groups loyal to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, engaged in bloody battles to seize control.
The region suffers not only from terrorism and political instability, but also from the consequences of climate change. In Niger alone, 4.3 million people (out of a population of 26 million) depend on humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. The UN counts 370,000 internally displaced persons and another 250,000 refugees from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, making it one of the most vulnerable regions on the planet.
