In case you have not heard there has been a military coup in the African nation of Niger.
I bet you will ask....'why is that important?' Right?
The United States has sunk $500 million over the last decade into training and equipping Niger's armed forces, which have now overthrown the democratically-elected president of the country.
Nigerien armed forces declared that they removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power amid a coup that began last Wednesday, spearheaded by a general who studied at the Department of Defense-backed College of International Security Affairs, Reuters reported. The U.S. has spent $500 million on training and arming Nigerien soldiers and stationing more than 1,000 U.S. troops in the region, according to the U.S. Embassy in Niger.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said over the weekend that the U.S. partnership with Niger is in "clear jeopardy."
https://dailycaller.com/2023/08/01/us-niger-coup-funding-military/
The military we trained just overthrew a west leaning government....go figure.
Does that tell you anything?
Here's a hint 'wasted money'.
Niger is not alone in this.....
Take a map of Africa, shade in the nations that have had military coups over the last few years, and you'll see the pattern: It's what Declan Walsh in the New York Times calls a "coup belt" stretching across the entire continent. It goes from Guinea on the west coast to Sudan on the east coast, with Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and, most recently, Niger, filling in the belt. Coverage:
- The Sahel: This six-nation band "has become the longest corridor of military rule on Earth," writes Walsh. The line roughly corresponds with what's known as the Sahel region of Africa, described by the AP as a "vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert"—and one that has become increasingly linked to extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
- One big worry: Terror groups have been gaining ground throughout the Sahel in recent years, particularly in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger, notes an analysis by Mohammed Yusuf at Voice of America. The democratically elected Mohamed Bazoum of Niger had been a US ally in fighting such groups, and his overthrow vastly complicates that effort—particularly if Western and UN troops are asked to leave Niger, as they have been elsewhere in the Sahel. The US currently has about 1,100 troops stationed at two bases in Niger, per Reuters. If the military coup holds—the situation is very much in flux—they would have to leave under US law.
- Russia: The BBC notes another parallel within the band: Russian influence. One fear in the West is that a new military regime in Niger will embrace Vladimir Putin. "If it does, it would follow the path of two of its neighbors—Burkina Faso and Mali—which have both pivoted towards Moscow since recent military coups of their own," writes Yusuf Akinpelu. There's no evidence Russia has fomented the coups, but Moscow has positioned itself to take advantage of the movements.
- Meltdown? The Sahel "has surpassed the Middle East and South Asia to become the global epicenter of jihadist violence," writes Walsh, and that has analysts worried. "I'm very worried that Sahelian Africa is going to melt down," says Paul Collier of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government.
If more info is wanted then I suggest reading this article.....
Niger is the Fourth Country in the Sahel to Experience an Anti-Western Coup
Here we go again....I say that in response to Blinken's words about the coup....
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed support for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after it threatened to use force against coup leaders in Niger if President Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated.
ECOWAS, a bloc of 15 West African nations, held an extraordinary summit to discuss the coup on Sunday. In a joint communique, ECOWAS leaders announced sanctions and said if Bazoum is not reinstated within a week, the bloc will "take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order" in Niger. "Such measures may include the use of force," the leaders said.
Following the ECOWAS summit, Blinken released a statement backing the bloc. "The United States welcomes and commends the strong leadership of the [ECOWAS] Heads of State and Government to defend constitutional order in Niger," Blinken said.
(antiwar.com)
Oh good another country for our weapons and cash to be used....as if we have not already wasted enough....(and the M-IC smiled)
Does this sound at all familiar?
I Await your thinking.
I Read, I Write, You Know
"lego ergo scribo"
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