Thierry meyssan
not anything happens by danger in politics. The French do not understand why French-speakme Africans suddenly reject them. They console themselves with the aid of accusing Russia of darkish machinations. In fact, they’re only reaping the end result of what they’ve sown for 12 years. This has nothing to do with what colonialism and Françafrique had been. this is solely the result of making the French military available to US approach.
The vintage refrains about colonial exploitation aren’t convincing. as an example, we observe that Paris exploits uranium from Niger, now not on the marketplace charge, however at a ridiculously low one. however, the putschists never raised this argument. they’re speakme approximately something completely extraordinary. The accusations of Russian manipulation aren’t any extra credible. firstly due to the fact Russia does no longer appear to stand at the back of the putschists in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger or Gabon, however in particular because the evil lengthy predates their arrival. Russia simplest arrived in Africa after its victory in Syria in 2016, even though the hassle dates back to at least 2010, if no longer 2001.
As continually, what makes the situation illegible is forgetting its origins.
since the attacks of September 11, 2001, america assigned a position in Africa to its vassal, France. It became a be counted of retaining the vintage order there even as looking forward to AfriCom to establish itself there and for the Pentagon so one can increase to the Black Continent the destruction of political institutions that it was already wearing out inside the “Broader middle East”1. steadily, Republican regulations gave manner to tribal regulations. From one point of view, it was an emancipation from heavy French resource, from some other, it was an impressive step backwards.
In 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, likely on the recommendation of Washington, took the initiative to clear up the Ivorian war. whilst the u . s . became crossed by way of a tribal war, an operation led first through ECOWAS, then through the Kenyan high Minister, cousin of Barack Obama2, Raila Odinga, is trying to barter the departure of Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo. Their hassle isn’t always Gbagbo’s authoritarian regime, but the reality that he transformed himself from a submissive CIA agent right into a defender of his state. Paris intervenes militarily after the presidential election to arrest Gbagbo – allegedly to forestall a genocide – and update him with Alassane Ouattara, a long-time pal of the French ruling elegance. eventually, Laurent Gbagbo may be judged by using the international crook courtroom which, after an interminable trial, will understand that he by no means devoted genocide and that, de facto, France become no longer justified in intervening militarily.
In 2011, President Nicolas Sarkozy, advised by way of Washington, engaged France in Libya. This time once more, it’s far formally a query of stopping a genocide committed by way of a dictator against his own humans. To make this accusation credible, the CIA, that is in the back of France, is organizing fake testimony before the Human Rights Council in Geneva. In big apple, the United countries protection Council authorizes the amazing powers to interfere to prevent the bloodbath which does no longer exist. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev turns a blind eye. the united states President, Barack Obama, wanted AfriCom to sooner or later start its operations in Africa in which he did not are living, its infantrymen still being stationed in Germany. however at the final moment, the AfriCom commander refused to combat in opposition to Muamar Gaddafi alongside the jihadists who had fought his comrades in Iraq (the us navy has still not admitted the double sport of the CIA which supports the jihadists against Russia, often to the detriment of Westerners). Barack Obama therefore appealed to NATO, forgetting that he had formerly promised not to mobilize it against a rustic of the South. still, Muammar Gaddafi became tortured and lynched, at the same time as Libya become dismembered. however, the Libyan Arab Jamahariya, which become no longer a dictatorship at all, however a regime stimulated through the French socialists of the XNUMXth century and the Paris Commune, turned into the best African force aiming to unite Arabs and blacks. Gaddafi wanted to disencumber the continent as he had liberated his compatriots from Western colonialism. He became even getting ready to pilot, with the director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a currency common to several African states. His fall awakened his enemies. Black human beings had been once again massacred with the aid of Arabs, even if they were of Libyan nationality, and reduced to slavery, underneath the insensitive eyes of the Western victors. poor African states economically supported with the aid of Libya collapsed, first and major Mali3. Arab jihadists, whom NATO had placed in power in Tripoli, supported positive Tuaregs towards blacks in popular. The trouble has step by step become massive throughout Sahelian Africa.
but, unable to learn the lessons of these crimes, French President François Hollande organized a new regime alternate in Mali. In March 2012, when the mandate of President Amadou Toumani excursioné turned into coming to an give up and he turned into now not going for walks for re-election, a set of officers skilled within the usa overthrew him, without being capable of give an explanation for their movement. He interrupted the continuing presidential marketing campaign and appointed Dioncounda Traore, “transitional president.” This sleight of hand changed into endorsed with the aid of ECOWAS… now chaired with the aid of Alassane Ouattara. Unsurprisingly, transitional president Dioncounda Traore referred to as on France for help to combat in opposition to the jihadists who’re attacking him. Paris’ idea become to station troops in Mali so that you can attack Algeria, its actual goal, from the rear. that is “Operation Serval”. conscious that they had been next at the listing, Algerian generals harshly repressed a hostage-taking through jihadists at the In Amenas oil website online. In doing so, they discouraged France from intervening against their human beings.
never mind ! France is reorganizing its gadget, it is “Operation Barkhane”. The French navy is placed on the disposal of its American overlord. the entirety is organized through AfriCom, nevertheless stationed in Germany. French troops, now supported by using contributors of the european Union (Denmark, Spain, Estonia, uk, Sweden and Czechia), smash the targets indicated to them by means of AfriCom. on this place, previously French, the French infantrymen have excellent touch with the populace while the people face a language barrier.
At this factor, the first remark is that Operation Barkhane, regardless of its effects, isn’t legitimate. Of path, it’s miles formally a query for Westerners of containing the jihadists, but any Sahelian is aware that it is those same Westerners who created the jihadists in the location through destroying Libya. and that is no longer all.
allow‘s cross lower back. let us remember the fact that all this started with the Pentagon’s choice to destroy African political structures with AfriCom as it had begun to break those of the “Broader middle East” with CentCom. On might also eleven, 2022, the united states beneath-Secretary of kingdom for political views, Straussian Victoria Nuland, added together in Morocco the 85 states participating inside the coalition against Daesh. She announced to them the relaxation of this system: the jihadists are reforming Daesh in the Sahel. they’ve weapons, formally intended for Ukraine. soon the entire vicinity could be nothing but a huge inferno4. In November, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari showed the huge inflow, into the palms of jihadists within the Sahel and the Lake Chad basin, folks weapons first of all supposed for Ukraine.
it’s miles within the face of this existential threat that infantrymen from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger took power to defend their human beings.
It have to be understood that for years, African leaders have complained approximately France’s support for the jihadists it is supposed to fight. This isn’t to blame the French army, but the role of its mystery services operating for america.
From the begin of Operation Serval, Syrian jihadists complained of having been abandoned via France in prefer in their Sahelian opposite numbers. And President François Hollande had to keep back his troops until the Qatari teachers of the Malian jihadists withdrew. The Russian Minister of overseas Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, mentioned it along with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, who spoke back with a laugh: “It’s our realpolitik!”
A sanctuary of Al-Qaeda army camps has been shaped among the towns of Ghat (close to the Algerian border) and Sabbah (close to Niger) in the Fezzan desolate tract, southern Libya. in keeping with the very severe Canard Enchainé, these jihadist academies have been prepared with the aid of the British and French secret offerings.
three years in the past, on October 8, 2021, the Malian prime Minister, Choguel Kokalla Maïga, gave an interview to RIA Novosti5 which has been widely said and commented on throughout the place, however now not in France in which nobody knows it, except our readers.
in keeping with Yaou Sangaré Bakar, Nigerien Minister of overseas Affairs, Cooperation and Nigeriens overseas, who wrote to the safety Council (Ref. S/2023/636), last month, French dealers launched terrorists who were prisoners. They have been grouped in a valley inside the village of Fitili (28 km northwest of Yatakala) where a planning meeting was held with the goal of attacking army positions within the three-border vicinity. Terrorist leaders, sixteen in quantity, had been apprehended in three operations, which includes two in Nigerien territory and one in Malian territory.
incidentally, Yaou Sangaré Bakar’s letter raises crucial questions about the function of ECOWAS6 ; questions which aren’t new and have arisen for the reason that exchange of the Ivorian regime. This worldwide organization has just taken sanctions towards Niger and mobilized troops to repair constitutional order. but the ECOWAS statutes do now not authorize it to take those sanctions, any more than the UN charter authorizes it to behave militarily in opposition to considered one of its contributors.
The instances of Guinea and Gabon are a bit exceptional. these aren’t the States of Lake Chad, nor of the Sahel. they are now not yet threatened. Their squaddies first rebelled towards authoritarian regimes, that of Alpha Condé in Guinea and Ali Bongo in Gabon. each refused to go away power in opposition to the advice of their population. however the putschists from both countries quick questioned the French army presence. quite clearly due to the fact they can are expecting, with out threat of being incorrect, that the French army will defend neither the hobbies of the Gabonese, nor even those of the French, however best those of Washington.
A struggle is brewing years in advance. today america is moving weapons within the shadow of the struggle in Ukraine. the next day, it’ll be too overdue.
in this context, it’s miles unexpected to say the least to hear French President Emmanuel Macron preaching the defense of constitutional order. On the only hand due to the fact all these States are in immediate risk and however because by way of placing the French navy at the provider of the objectives of the usa leaders, it itself betrayed its personal constitution.
Thierry meyssan
source: Voltaire network