Niger’s minister of interior and public security has called for increased vigilance to deal with the alleged threat
France is deploying underhanded methods in its attempt to destabilize Niger, the West African nation’s minister of the interior, public security, and territorial administration, General Mohamed Toumba, has alleged.
The official made the claims in an interview on national television on Saturday, the Nigerien News Agency reported. General Toumba accused the former colonial power of allying with Niger’s neighbors to undermine the country, which has been plagued by a deadly jihadist insurgency for years.
“We must be doubly vigilant to contain the situation,” he warned, claiming that France uses “Trojan horses.”
The security chief’s remarks are the latest in a string of accusations Niamey has leveled at Paris in recent months. Last month, Nigerien transitional leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani accused France of aiming to cause instability in the landlocked country and the Sahel region by funding terrorist groups in neighboring Nigeria and Benin.
Relations between Niger and France have deteriorated since Niamey’s July 2023 coup, which sparked anti-French protests across the country. The former French colony followed the lead of its allies, Burkina Faso and Mali, in breaking off defense ties with Paris. The three countries, all ruled by militaries, have cited France’s meddling and failure to put an end to the decade-long militant violence in the Sahel as reasons for expelling French troops. Niamey, Bamako, and Ouagadougou have welcomed Russia as a strategic partner and have signed security agreements with Moscow.
On Tuesday, Nigerien Defense Minister Salifou Mody announced that Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou were preparing to deploy a “united force” of 5,000 troops to conflict zones in the Sahel region. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia expressed Moscow’s support for the deployment.
Nebenzia criticized former colonial powers for maintaining a military foothold in the region under the guise of fighting terrorism despite their presence being “no longer welcomed.”
Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the Sahel states for failing to thank France for protecting them from a militant onslaught. He claimed none of the African nations that France had purportedly assisted during its 2013 military operation would have been able to withstand attacks from extremist groups without support.
On Saturday, Niger’s security minister stated that military cooperation with France “ended up creating desolation” in the African country.
“These forces did not give a security guarantee. These actors allowed themselves everything. They used subterfuges to avoid reacting,” Gen Toumba stated.
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