From the Niamey perspective, the hasty and forced departure of the French troops stationed in Niger, and the equally premature return to Paris of the French ambassador posted to the Sahelian country, undoubtedly seemed like a victory. After a two-month face-off, the junta forced France – Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum's main ally – to fold. On Sunday, September 24, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that Bazoum, who was dismissed on July 26 and has been under house arrest ever since, is "the only legitimate authority." But the announcement of the French withdrawal confirms that power has in fact changed hands in Niamey.
The military junta led by Abdourahamane Tchiani immediately welcomed "this historic moment [marking] a new step towards Niger's sovereignty." On the morning of Monday, September 25, Aujourd'hui au Faso, a daily newspaper from Burkina Faso (a neighboring country also run by its military), summed up a widely shared opinion. According to the media outlet, France's prior refusal to recall its ambassador and the 1,500-odd soldiers deployed there, and keeping them in Niger "against the will of the authorities, even if they are putschists and not recognized by France [...] was untenable and inoperative."
Since the putsch, Niger's pressure had been increasing as Brigade General Tchiani's power strengthened, with the support of all the commanders-in-chief of the army corps. This unity has removed President Bazoum's prospects of a rapid restoration to power, technically the commander-in-chief of an army that no longer responds to him. Such was the intangible objective set by France, but one that was not shared by everyone in Niger, particularly in Niamey.
The capital has predominantly been opposed to former president Mahamadou Issoufou (2011-2021) and his successor Bazoum. It had therefore not been very difficult to mobilize a few battalions of activists to denounce French "neo-colonialism" and their interference in Nigerien affairs. Just four days after the putsch, demonstrators were already gathering in front of the French embassy to demand the departure of its soldiers stationed in Niger. In recent weeks, groups of Nigeriens have occasionally gathered there again. This was once again the case when the 48-hour ultimatum Niger's military leaders gave the French ambassador to leave the country, on August 25, expired.
Popular pressure, whose degree of spontaneity is difficult to gauge, was also exerted at the gates of the French base at Niamey's international airport. At the same time, Nigerien security forces imposed a blockade on these two symbolic sites of French presence, restricting human movements and supplies. The latest decision taken by Niamey, just a few hours before Macron's speech, was to close Niger's airspace to "French aircraft or aircraft chartered by France, including those in the Air France fleet."
You have 51.93% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.