West African Disorder Rises After Predictable Culmination to Niger Coup

Following the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger on July 26, West Africannations continue to be engulfed in a troubling spiral of turmoil. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave an ultimatum to the military junta: reinstate Bazoum to power, or face military intervention. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the coup leader, continues to remain obstinate, stating that he intends to retaliate against any infringement.

“This event stemmed from the colonial days of Niger under the leadership of France. A lot of [former] French colonies in recent years have had large coup d’états,” said ninth-grader Nate Marek.

African nations are unstable as a result of colonialism. The Scramble for Africa is the term used to describe the colonization of Africa by European countries. European powers took countries swiftly and unforgivably. This led to an agreement that would destroy the borders and cultures of Africa, turning it into the breeding ground for instability that is known today. The Berlin Act was signed in 1885. European nations divided the continent. African people were not involved in this decision.

People who did not belong together were suddenly clustered. Family and friends were divided in the disorder. French West Africa, a consolidation of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Niger, was France’s sphere of control in Africa. As time passed, France lost its grip on its African colonies, and in 1960, the French colonies were given independence.

Robert Nelson, a history teacher at Athenian, said, “The lifting of the imperial regime and its replacement by a collection of sovereign states that didn’t necessarily cohere in terms of culture, language, religion, ethnicity, that kind of thing, is one of the sources of frequent disorder in West Africa. [It is] hard to see positive tendencies in anti-democratic actions.”

In fact, it is not just one coup, but a sequence of instability and the undermining of democracy that poses a threat to the West. “A lot of places in Africa have turned to China for economic development and that comes with a whole subject of different Chinese aspects of global politics. Russia, as well, setting themselves up as a counter to most Western influence. I can definitely conceive it as being anti- Western,” Robert said.

China, a country with which the United States has complicated relations, is an example of a threat that could lurk behind the scenes. Nate said, “In recent years, China has been looking to invest in up-and-coming African nations. China sees them as thefuture; they’re trying to invest in African nations that will help lead the future, so that in the future, China has a bunch of strong countries behind it. It’s just a stepping stone on their way to being the number one global superpower.”

The relationship between China and the United States is a competition for power and influence. China is looking to further its economic and geopolitical power, and it can do that by investing in smaller up-and-coming countries.

For the United States, this is an issue. China is looking towards the future, and if it keeps going, it will have a plethora of nations on its side. Being on China’s side often means being against the United States and the West.

“I think the U S government almost sees it as a political tool. The [president] is currently Democratic, and the GOP can keep pointing out the flawed ways the event was handled to appeal to people like swing voters,” Nate said.