09.11.2023, Paris.
The likelihood of a military invasion of Niger by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) national army has diminished because the president of Côte d’Ivoire has changed his mind about participating in the invasion, French news magazine Jeune Afrique reported on November 7, citing its sources.
Alassane Ouattara, the president of the small African country of Côte d’Ivoire, who was previously one of the organizers of the intervention in Niger after the coup there, has decided to abandon the idea, according to information obtained by Jeune Afrique.
The Republic of Niger is a landlocked state in West Africa with a population of about 23 million people. More than 80% of the country’s territory falls on the Sahara desert. Until 1960 it was a French colony. The country’s economy is based on agriculture and mining – mainly uranium, supplied to France, where nuclear power plants produce 75% of all electricity. Due to frequent droughts, the country is constantly on the verge of mass starvation.
On July 26, 2023, Niger witnessed its fifth coup since its liberation from France. The country’s former president, Mohaméa Bazoum, refused to accept his resignation and is under house arrest in the presidential palace. The presidential guard commander, General Abdourahman Chiani, who led the coup d’état, explained his actions by fighting corruption and embezzlement of budget funds.
One of the first decisions of the new government, in addition to declaring martial law in the country and temporarily suspending the constitution, was to stop exporting uranium and gold to France.
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is a coastal state in West Africa with a population of about 23 million. Until 1960, like Niger, the country was a French colony. It has a well-developed agriculture. The main commercial crops are cocoa and coffee. Africa’s largest exporter of palm oil and natural rubber.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
