(By Massimiliano D'Elia) Intervene in Niger? The ultimatum of Ecowas - the community of West African states - launched to the Nigerien coup plotters to return to democratic leadership of the country expires on Sunday. However, just yesterday, the coup plotters received the support of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea in the event of a military attack by any block of foreign countries, including those that are part of ECOWAS. As the hours go by, the situation has become incandescent and all Western countries are bringing back their compatriots who have requested repatriation. A few hours ago an Italian Air Force aircraft landed and brought home the compatriots who had requested repatriation to the diplomatic offices in Niamey.
The European country that is most directly affected by the coup is France which has numerous interests in its former colony, especially in the field of uranium extraction which is then used to power nuclear power plants in Europe.
In Niger, about 1.500 French soldiers are stationed in the Niamey base with Reaper drones and Mirage fighters, withdrawn after the "expulsion" from Mali. Italy has a contingent of 300 men in the base outside the capital's airport, in the quadrilateral south of the city where the French and US installations are located.
On the hypothesis of a unilateral French military intervention, according to the Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonnawould be one fake news relaunched by the putschists to raise the bar of tension. Probably suggested by Wagner's Russians, notoriously skilled in disinformation techniques.
However, it is not excluded that France will provide logistical support for a possible mission by Ecowas which has given an ultimatum until Sunday to the new junta of General Tiani. This was confirmed by a French military source quoted by Repubblica: “It's an option on the table” even if Nigeria and Chad would be in the forefront to guide an Ecowas intervention, in close contact with Paris. “In any case – concludes the military source in Paris – any aid from France would be coordinated with other European countries and with the United States”.
France could provide assets, intelligence and special forces units. In Paris, however, they are cautious saying that it is still premature to talk about it, because it is impossible not to take into account the risks of opening a pan-African conflict, in the light of the reactions of the pro-Russian countries bordering Niger, which have already declared their solidarity with General Tiani .
Su Orano, the French group which operates in the North of Niger for the extraction of uranium there are, at the moment, no particular problems given that the contract with the Nigerien authorities had just been renewed at prices higher than the market values. The putschists could, therefore, have an interest in maintaining the advantageous terms of the contract even if they had threatened to interrupt the extraction of the precious metal in favor of Paris.
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