Why coup in Niger will help Russia increase its influence in Africa

The coup d’etat that took place in Niger last month is likely to give another chance to Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend his country’s influence in Africa, writes ETV Bharat’s Aroonim Bhuyan.

New Delhi: Even as India is trying to boost its footprint in Africa, the coup d’etat in Niger last month is expected to help Russia to further increase its influence in the continent. Russia is among the four major powers that have interests in Africa, the others being the US, China and the European Union. India, too, has thrown its hat in the ring and is engaged in a rivalry with China in the continent.

On July 26, Niger’s presidential guard detained democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum and announced that a military junta has assumed power in the West African country. The coup was led by presidential guard commander General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who proclaimed himself as the leader of a new military junta. Tchiani is a close ally of Bazoum’s predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou.

The coup has sent alarm bells ringing in Western capitals. Both the US and France have troops deployed in Niger. Soon after the coup, a small group of Nigeriens gathered in the country’s capital Niamey and voiced support for the new military junta by waving Russian flags. They chanted protests against the West in general and France, the former colonial power, in particular.

Though Russian President Vladimir Putin is among the world leaders, who have condemned the coup in Niger, the fact of the matter is that Moscow is seeking to further increase its influence in Africa following international sanctions and isolation because of the war with Ukraine. Niger is the latest country in what is called the Coup Belt of Africa where a successful coup d’etat has taken place in recent years. The Coup Belt is a modern geopolitical term to describe the region of West Africa and the Sahel that has a high prevalence of coups d’etat. Many of the countries in this region are former French colonies. In 2020, Mali’s government fell after a coup d’etat. In 2021, successful coups’ d’etat took place in Sudan, Chad and Guinea. Last year, the government in Burkina Faso fell after a coup d’etat. Niger was seen as the last bulwark against the high instability in the region but now the democratically-elected government there too has fallen.

“Within Niger, the public has already conveyed their interest in Russia,” Ruchita Beri, consultant at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, told ETV Bharat. “They don’t want the French troops to stay. They feel that the French are exploiting them. They are looking for an alternative.” Beri said that in Mali, after the coup, the rulers asked the French troops and the UN Peacekeeping Mission to leave. They were replaced by the Wagner private military company of Russia.

“Though Putin has condemned the coup in Niger, the Wagner Group has said that it is ready to support the military junta,” she said. Last month, Putin hosted the second Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg. The Summit was attended by 49 delegations, including 17 heads of state. Putin said that Russia has written off $23 billion of African debt.

The Summit was also attended by the Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in his first known public appearance in Russia since launching an unsuccessful rebellion. His Wagner mercenaries have supported the interests of the Russian government in several African countries. “Putin is interested in increasing Russia’s influence in Africa, particularly in the Sahel (a semiarid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan),” Beri said. “This coup gives another chance to Putin.”

Though the coup in Niger is unlikely to have any direct implications for India, several Indian companies, including a mobile service provider and a cement manufacturing firm, have substantial investments in Niger. India and Niger share cordial bilateral relations. Both countries also share a development cooperation partnership under which India has extended several lines of credit to Niger. India’s capacity-building assistance is also much appreciated by Nigeriens.