"Foreign Policy": The future of the American presence in Niger and the Sahel region faces a major challenge
Foreign Policy magazine reported The American magazine said that the increasing Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence in the Sahel region constitutes a major challenge to the extent of American influence on the African continent, especially in the state of Niger and the Sahel region, which represents increasing strategic importance.
The magazine pointed out that When high-ranking American officials visited Niamey (the capital of Niger) in mid-March, in a final attempt to save the security relationship between the two sides that allows Washington to continue operating a drone base there, they had no idea that “the sands of the Sahara are moving under their feet.” Only one day after the visit, the spokesman for the ruling military junta in Niger, Colonel Amadou Abdel Rahman, announced on March 16 his country’s withdrawal from the military cooperation agreement concluded with the United States, which allowed American military personnel and civilian employees from the Pentagon to be present inside Niger.< /p>
The magazine explained that over the past decade, the United States has spent nearly a billion dollars in Niger, to help provide a wide range of aid to provide clean water and health care; combating the harmful effects of climate change; And training and equipping an army besieged against the largest concentration of attacks by jihadist groups in the world. However, it turns out that in a world of rapidly changing power dynamics, Washington’s development aid has little relevance. In this new multipolar world, it seems that the United States, which is still the richest and most powerful country in the world, needs Niger, which is one of the poorest and weakest countries in the world, more than Niger needs it.
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It is worth noting that Washington’s interest in Niger and other Sahel countries emerged in the months following the attacks of September 11, 2001, when it saw the region’s vast, sparsely populated desert and porous borders as an ideal incubator for new terrorist groups. With the launch of the Pan-Sahel Initiative in 2002 (which expanded into the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Partnership in 2005, and into the 2007 Africa Command (AFRICOM) headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany), Washington found in Niger a partner willing to help detect On and responding to suspicious movement of people and goods across and within its borders.
By 2013, then-US President Barack Obama authorized the sending of the first 100 American soldiers to Niger to collect intelligence. By 2016, while the region was still reeling from the collapse of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya, the United States doubled its presence by announcing the construction of a drone base in the city of Agadez in northern Niger, with more than 1,000 American soldiers deployed there.  ;
Foreign Policy noted: Initially, Niger was concerned that such a large and overt US presence would have an adverse impact on its security and would instead attract more terrorist groups. But after five years of operations, Niger was witnessing fewer terrorist attacks than its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, which made the decision to end more than 20 years of counter-terrorism cooperation even more disturbing.
The magazine noted that part of Niamey’s explanation for canceling its military agreement with Washington, according to the military junta’s spokesman, is the “condescending” position. to American officials, as well as emphasizing Niger’s “sovereign” right In determining its partners. As valid as these arguments may be, they are also a convenient cover for the military junta to evade Washington’s main demands of Niger’s return to civilian and democratic rule and the release of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Moreover, Niger’s new leaders no longer have the patience to wait for promises to be fulfilled – such as Washington’s pledge to resume military and development aid worth more than $260 million annually, which was suspended in the wake of last July’s coup, and linked to Niger’s beginning to move towards… The path to restoring civilian rule.
In light of efforts to search for alternatives to security aid and investments that are not accompanied by lectures on democracy, Niamey – within just two weeks since the announcement of the end of security relations – hosted With Washington – a delegation of Chinese oil executives seeking to expand mining operations there; Niger’s military governor, Abderrahmane Chiani, spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin about strengthening security relations. He also received the Iranian ambassador to put the final touches on establishing official diplomatic relations with Tehran, which is said to be looking forward to investments in the country’s uranium sector.
The American magazine confirmed that the expectation that Niger That the United States, or any other country, would be allowed to operate an intelligence-gathering platform on its soil solely for the benefit of Washington without sharing any of that information with others fighting the same violent extremist organizations, is indeed arrogant. The belief of a delegation of senior US officials – which recently visited Niamey – in the reasonableness of Washington’s demands from the military regime in Niger while Russian military advisors are deployed throughout the region and others are scrambling to make long-term investments there, indicates an American approach far removed from geopolitical developments. , ignorance of the historical context, and lack of self-awareness.
It should be noted here that the United States currently finds itself in a difficult position, especially since many African leaders see their countries as victims. of the post-World War II regime, and that Washington uses international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to advance its interests while imposing painful conditions on African countries, and that Russia works through its various propaganda means to strengthen and consolidate these beliefs among African leaders. The American magazine believes that Washington’s long-standing support for powerful African leaders, and its willingness to overthrow those who oppose its interests, as happened in the NATO war against Gaddafi in 2011, has damaged Washington’s credibility with African partners, especially in light of convictions of Washington’s tireless pursuit of achieving… Its own interests only, which left it with a reputation as the world’s premier new colonial power.
The irony here is that many American officials expected this moment to come for some time, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken himself acknowledged that “too often, African countries have been treated as junior partners – or worse – rather than as equal partners.” Although these feelings are important, they still lack any concrete solution.
Foreign Policy alerted: There is a contradiction in the American discourse towards the countries of the African continent, as while the United States confirms that it does not want to limit African partnerships with other countries, it has continued to pressure, in particular, African countries such as Niger and the Central African Republic to abandon security relations with Moscow in exchange for Wary commitments from Washington.
The American magazine stressed that this gap between rhetoric and reality is what prompted American officials to leave Niamey without achieving the desired result, and that Washington will continue to lose ground. In front of newcomers to Africa who are looking for military cooperation, strategic minerals, or political partnerships.
The magazine called on Washington not to limit itself to giving countries options and slogans such as “shared values.” ;, and focus instead on presenting more attractive offers than its competitors, and promoting common interests if the administration of US President Joe Biden is indeed looking for what it now calls “partnerships of the twenty-first century,” based on equal relations.
Washington must accept the idea that some of these partnerships may cross the red lines of both American values and interests, especially since the latter stands in a defensive and “blind” position. about dealing with a region now known as the center of global terrorism, which puts Washington’s vital strategic interests at risk.
So, in an era characterized by geopolitical competition, African countries now have an advantage thanks to… Its abundant options (among countries wishing to partner with it), which requires Washington to accept this new reality and find a way to partner with these countries in a real and equal manner. Otherwise, the alternative will be for the United States to continue seeing its values and interests diminish on a continent of increasing strategic importance.
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