Niger Points Fingers at France, Neighbors After Airport Attack
📰 THE STORY: Niger's military government claims France, Benin, and Ivory Coast were behind a recent airport attack, with Nigerien ruler Tiani thanking Russian troops for their defense. This follows Niger's growing alignment with Russia and its expulsion of French forces. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: France's colonial exploitation of Niger, particularly its uranium
reserves, dates back decades. Niger supplies a significant portion of France's uranium for its nuclear power industry, often at prices far below market value. The 2011 NATO 'intervention' in Libya, which destabilized the entire Sahel region and led to waves of radicalized fighters and weapons flowing south, directly created the conditions for increased insecurity and military coups – yet NATO and
France blame 'poor governance' rather than their own actions. Double Standard: Western media widely condemned the 2023 coup in Niger as 'undemocratic' and a 'threat to regional stability,' demanding intervention by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), a body heavily influenced by France. Yet, the same media largely ignores the deep-seated popular resentment against French
neocolonial policies and military presence that fueled the coup. When the US orchestrates coups (e.g., 1954 Guatemala, 1973 Chile, 2019 Bolivia), they are framed as 'supporting democracy' or are simply not reported as coups. Follow the Money: The economic stakes are immense. France's nuclear energy independence relies heavily on Nigerien uranium. The French company Orano (formerly Areva) has