The US Must Tread More Carefully in Niger
American policy should end its traditional deference to Paris on Sahel matters to avoid being tarred with the same neocolonial brush.
Omar Alieu Touray, President of The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) addresses members of the media beside Hassoumi Massoudou, Foreign Minister of Niger, during the EU Foreign Ministers informal meeting on August 31, 2023.
Photographer: Denis Doyle/Getty Images EuropeThe military coup d’état in Gabon last week, which toppled the 55-year-long family reign of Omar and Ali Bongo, followed similar putsches by military officers in Niger, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Chad that have overthrown largely elected civilian governments. More dominoes may fall, too, as harassment of opposition parties continues in Senegal, Togo and Cameroon.
Yet global powers like the US must first seek to understand the complex regional and external dynamics driving these coups in order to effectively respond to them. The risks of acting rashly and deferring to France’s hostile and interventionist approach are too high.