AS OF THE writing of this article, Niger just had its coup.
The people behind the coup captured the President Mohamed Bazoum, but so far there had been no mass violence.
Further, the coup was supported by Mali, China, Russia, and Burkina Faso.
Supporters of the coup claim they are fighting against “neocolonialism”, that they are weary of France exploiting them.
In practical terms, however, what they have done is trade one group of foreign “influencers” (France and Western nongovernment organizations) for another (Russia and China).
Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but they should be honest about it. Independence and sovereignty are secondary issues in this coup. Pro-Russian banners and flags during the coup are proof of that. They are Niger’s new patrons.
What is happening in Africa right now is the return of Cold War Politics, albeit with slightly different rules, but with the same players. This trend has been happening for quite some time now, first in Southeast Asia then in Taiwan and Ukraine.
Africa only confirms what was speculated in the past. The age of American Unipolar dominance is over, and these coups are a symptom of that.
Keep in mind that Niger’s coup did not happen in a vacuum. It had support from neighboring African countries (and enemies) as well as Russia and China. That implies camps. That implies alliances.
Even now, African nations under ECOWAS have imposed sanctions on the Junta, and it seems as if a regional war may break out soon. What will happen next will have minimal geopolitical importance in the long-term. Even France, which imports Uranium from Niger, will be fine because of diversified energy sources.
What will be important is the extension of the new geopolitical fissures into Africa. We have the West Philippine Sea and Taiwan in Asia. Europe has the Ukraine issue. Africa has Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali vs ECOWAS./PN
