Western intervention in West Africa could soon backfire: UnHerd

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Unherd
8 Aug 2023 17:00
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A report published in UnHerd says Western countries should accept that this anti-Western trend has much less to do with recent foreign influence than with historical grievances.

Dozens of Nigeriens rallying in support of the coup, on August 3, 2023 (AFP)

A report published on the UnHerd news website entitled "Niger and the collapse of France’s empire," and written by Thomas Fazi, suggested that Western intervention in West Africa "could soon backfire."

The report pointed out that there have been several anti-Western rebellions in the Sahel in Africa, such as in Mali and Burkina Faso, adding that now it is Niger's turn to become the third country in which a coup took place in just three years.

"In each of these coups, the military officers involved cited the same reasons for seizing power: mounting concerns about a surge in terrorism and chronic social and economic underdevelopment," the writer highlighted.

He continued, "In the eyes of these countries’ new leaders and their supporters, much of the responsibility for this lies with one villain in particular: France. They are, after all, all former French colonies, part of what used to be known as Françafrique."

The report indicated that "more than any other imperial power, France has continued to exercise a huge influence over its former outposts, replacing outright colonial rule with more subtle forms of neocolonial control — first and foremost with currency."

According to the report, "Before Africa’s decolonization in the Fifties and Sixties, it was common among Western powers to impose forms of monetary subservience on their respective colonies."

The writer noted that "what set France apart from other imperial powers was the fact that its monetary empire survived decolonisation," pointing out that "while most African colonies, upon becoming independent, adopted national currencies, France managed to cajole most of its former outposts in Central and Western Africa into maintaining the colonial currency: the CFA franc."

Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in #Africa in the past year, as African nations try to destroy the shackles enforced by the colonial past of #France. pic.twitter.com/bJ2oHNnDsN
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 5, 2023

Several countries attempted to ditch the CFA system in the decades that followed their independence, but only a few succeeded, as France did all in its power to keep countries from quitting the system.

"Intimidations, destabilisation campaigns and even assassinations and coups d’état marked this period, testifying to the permanent and unequal power relations on which the relationship between France and its ‘partners’ in Africa was based — and is still based today," Senegalese economist Ndongo Samba Sylla and French journalist Fanny Pigeaud mentioned in their book "Africa’s Last Colonial Currency," as cited by the writer.

As a result, according to the writer, the CFA franc "continues to be used by 14 countries, mostly former French colonies, throughout Central and Western Africa — including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Together, they form the so-called “franc zone”, with France still playing a central role."

Sylla and Pigeaud argued that the CFA franc is "more than simply a currency," explaining that it "allows France to manage its economic, monetary, financial and political relations with some of its former colonies according to a logic functional to its interests."

The two authors suggested that the CFA franc represents a form of "monetary imperialism" that stifles African countries' economic growth and keeps them dependent on France.

In the same context, the UnHerd report considered that France's dominance over the franc zone extends beyond economic tools, recalling that "Niger is also France’s main Sahelian military base, hosting around 1,500 French soldiers."

The writer also mentioned that the West African country is "home to around 1,000 US soldiers, one of the largest contingents of American troops on the African continent, operating under the umbrella of the United States Africa Command (Africom)."

Despite both the US and France claiming that their military presence in the region is to fight terrorism, "the reality, however, is that despite this massive foreign military presence, security in Niger and other countries has deteriorated over the years — as have their economic prospects," Fazi indicated.

Therefore, Senegalese economist Ndongo Samba Sylla considered that the ongoing rebellions against French influence are "a second national liberation movement, which aims to bring to completion the decolonization process which began in the Fifties and Sixties in Francophone Africa."

"While the first stage of this process was about obtaining political independence from the West, this latest stage is about obtaining economic sovereignty and independence," Fazi added.

This is why "in many of these countries, the militaries are seen as leaders upholding their nations’ sovereignty and independence, as opposed to elected governments, which tend to be puppets of the West and have done nothing to challenge the neocolonial order throughout the years," Fazi quoted Sylla as saying.

However, the writer noted that the ongoing events are "more than just a story about France’s waning hegemony and US military presence in the region."

He explained that "the Nigerien coup also threatens a $13-billion dollar project to build a gas pipeline connecting gas fields in Nigeria to Europe, which would pass straight through Niger," emphasizing that "following the EU’s decision to wean itself off Russian gas last year, this venture is arguably more urgent than ever."

"All of which feeds into fears that we are on the verge of a new scramble for Africa, with Russia, China and the West vying for influence over this immensely resource-rich, young continent predicted to be the next frontier of growth. If this logic prevails, however, it will be a disaster for Africa," Fazi warned.

The writer concluded his report by stressing that "Western countries — and France in particular — should accept that this anti-Western trend has much less to do with recent foreign influence than with historical grievances against long-running neocolonial practices."

He underlined that "any attempt to counter it with the same old recipe — financial blackmail and military force — will only strengthen the rebels’ resolve."