Niger, a country in West Africa, has a high number of deadly attacks by jihadist groups. After a takeover by the military in July, people are worried that if the order is given for 1,500 French soldiers to leave the country, it could make the rebels feel more confident and stronger.
Mayeni Jones from the BBC was able to visit Niger and talk to the government, people who support it, and people who are against it.
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Adama Zourkaleini Maiga speaks quietly, but her eyes show strong determination.
The single mother has two children and lives in a peaceful area of Niger’s capital city, Niamey. However, she comes from Tillabéry, a region that has been severely affected by violence.
“She told me during lunch that my mom’s cousin was the leader of a village named Téra. ” “He was killed just seven months ago. ”
The bad people were searching for him, and when they discovered that he had borrowed a car to escape, they caught him and ended his life. They cut his throat. Our whole family was really surprised.
Adama holds France responsible for not being able to control the violence, even though they had 1,500 soldiers in the area to fight against Islamist militants.
“She says that they are not able to say that the French army was victorious. ” “I don’t get how they can claim to be aiding people in fighting terrorism, but the problem keeps getting worse each year. ”
Niger was considered the final Western friend in the Sahel, a mostly dry area that has become the main location of violent extremism. France and the United States both have military soldiers in Niger. Niger is also where the United States has its largest drone base.
However, when France declined to acknowledge the new military government in Niger, the existing anger towards what the people saw as unwanted French involvement in their country’s affairs became intense.
Many people in Niger think that France has had special access to the country’s leaders and natural resources for a long time. They view the coup as an opportunity to start fresh, regain control over their own country, and remove the influence of France.
Adama says that the army in Niger has never remained in control for a long time. He is talking about the five times where the army took over the government since the country gained independence from France in 1960.
“The military will eventually go back to their bases and give control to a more effective civilian government that will lead Niger to its future,” she says.
People in France got very mad when they said no to Niger’s new leader. This got worse when the people in charge told their soldiers and ambassador to leave the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron at first said no, but now he says he’s decided to say yes to the demands of the junta because the Nigerien authorities are not interested in fighting terrorism anymore.
‘France thinks we are stupid’
Hundreds of people have been staying outside a military base in Niamey that has French soldiers. They have been there for many weeks and are preventing supplies from reaching the soldiers.
The protesters gather and sit in prayer on Fridays. In the hot afternoon, Imam Abdoulaziz Abdoulaye Amadou tells the people to wait calmly.
He tells the people that just like it takes time for a man and a woman to get a divorce, it will also take time for Niger to separate from France.
After he finished speaking to the people, I asked him why the people of Niger are very mad at the French even though they worked closely together for many years.
He says that Niger is the best partner for France in the entire Sahel region. France is not agreeing with what we want and that is causing tension.
France had the option to leave without causing any trouble after the coup, and then returned later to have discussions with the people who staged the coup. Why is Emmanuel Macron currently saying that he does not acknowledge our authorities, when he has previously supported coups in other nations such as Gabon and Chad.
“We are angry because of this, and we believe that France thinks we are foolish. ”
During the prayers, there is a lot of noise and excitement because a large car with armed guards arrives.
The recently chosen leader of Niamey, General Abdou Assoumane Harouna, commonly referred to as Plaquette, goes outside. He is a very tall man, measuring 6 feet 5 inches, and he is wearing clothes typically worn by soldiers and a green hat.
As we try to talk to him for an interview, he points to my producer and says to everyone: “Some people claim that we don’t like white people, but that’s not true. We actually welcome them warmly. ”
He says that the people in Niger want a country that is successful, proud and in control of its own decisions, and that those from other places should honor their desires. When I ask if the junta can make sure his country is safe from terrorists, he says that the Nigerien forces have always kept their people safe, and can continue to do so without any help from other countries.
But people who don’t support the government are really worried that if French troops leave, it could be really bad for Niger and the surrounding area.
Idrissa Waziri, who used to speak for the removed President Mohamed Bazoum, tells me through Zoom that France is an important ally in the battle against terrorists. They provide the majority of the information that helps us defeat the terrorists.
The French leaving quickly has made safety in Mali and Burkina Faso worse. Nowadays, people are using France as a target to blame for all the issues we face, which causes protests on the streets.
“France is not the issue, the current problem is the attempted coup in Niger, which is a big setback. ”
Fahiraman Rodrigue Koné, who manages the Sahel project at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, says it is too soon to determine if France leaving will cause more insecurity in Niger and the Sahel region.
In Mali, after foreign and UN troops left, there has been an increase in violence from both Islamist insurgents and rebel groups. But Mr Koné says the countries are very different from each other.
He says that the French army helped the troops in Niger in a smaller way compared to how they helped the troops in Mali. The Nigerien army has had a lot of practice battling terrorist groups, particularly against Boko Haram in the eastern region.
He says that the military of Niger is more spread out throughout their land than the military of Mali. In Mali, there were areas in the northern part of the country where the government and army were not present and terror groups took control of a significant amount of land.
After Ecowas said it would invade Niger if President Bazoum was not returned, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed an alliance on September 16th.
In the Sahel security alliance, the countries have agreed to support each other when there are fights against their governments and attacks from outside forces. Koné believes that this could make a significant difference in the situation.
He said that one reason why terror groups could easily move from one place to another was because the three countries did not work together. These three countries have already worked together in two or three military operations. This increased team effort is making things very difficult for the rebels.
He believes the alliance could share good ideas from Niger with the other two countries.
According to the Global Terrorism Index, there was a 79% decrease in terror-related deaths in Niger last year. However, Mali and Burkina Faso, which are close by, experienced the highest number of terror attacks. Around 90% of the violence that happened last year in the Sahel region was connected to Islamist extremism, and it mainly occurred in two countries.
Mr Koné says that the Bazoum administration was able to reduce deaths in Niger because they used a well-rounded approach. This approach included using military strategies, involving the community, and focusing on improving the socio-economic conditions.
However, even though this process was somewhat successful, not everyone liked it. Some people in the military thought that it made the government seem weak on terrorists and that it encouraged lawlessness. We don’t know if the junta will keep going in the same direction.
It’s difficult to know how many people in Niamey support President Bazoum.
Many people are upset that he is very close with the French government, but we had a hard time finding any of his supporters or people against the decision to kick out France, who would talk to us on the record. Most people seemed really afraid of what might happen because of their actions.
The junta watched the BBC team closely and knew what the people we interviewed were saying, and this wasn’t helpful.
France leaving doesn’t automatically mean Niger won’t work with western countries anymore. There are soldiers from other countries, including the United States, who are still present in Niger.
On Monday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Kenya that his country hadn’t made any important changes to its military presence in Niger yet.
However, he mentioned that they will keep looking at how things are going there and any actions they take in the future will focus on both their goals of supporting democracy and maintaining security.
The Sahel is in the front line of the war on terror. The choices made by the ruling groups there will be very important for the spread of Islamist extremism to other nearby areas.