Niger Marks 4th Anti-Western Coup in the Sahel
Consortium NewsAPR 2023
The fact that the US is now evacuating its embassy staff is yet another symbol that the era of Western neocolonialism is coming to an end in West Africa as a result of the coups in Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and now Niger. All over the Sahel, people are tired of the West talking about democracy and fighting terrorism while it's primarily interested in the exploitation of resources such as gold and uranium. It's time for Africa to free itself from the structures of economic exploitation and the military presence of France and the US.
The evacuation of US and European citizens from Niger is a tragic development for the West African country, which was considered the West's last remaining major partner in the fight against Islamist extremists in the Sahel. While the US and French militaries are in Niger fighting terrorism, Washington has supported Niamey with hundreds of millions of US dollars in military assistance. Now Niger risks selling out to Russia and its Wagner mercenaries, and the coup will contribute to instability and insecurity in the region.