Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani warned against any potential French offensive in Niger, saying that while the West should insist on restoring civilian rule in the country, a return to what he referred to as “neo-colonialism” through military intervention would only aggravate the situation.
Niger entered into a power struggle last week after members of the presidential guard arrested the country’s pro-Western leader Mohamed Bazoum in what many pundits fear could be a repeat of the series of pro-Russian coups that have rattled West Africa in recent years.
The chaos has seriously undermined EU and French foreign policy in the region, as Niger had previously been regarded as one of the last pro-Western administrations in West Africa. French geopolitical influence, in particular, has receded in the face of rising Islamic terror and local military elites opting to ally with Russia through the Wagner mercenary force.
Tajani confirmed that he had spoken to the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, saying that Rome preferred non-violent “diplomatic solutions” to the current turmoil in Niger.
Italy and other European nations have commenced evacuating their civilians over the past week as speculation mounts that either France or neighbouring African nations, led by Nigeria, will deploy troops to restore democratic order.
This has led to fears of a new proxy war in West Africa between Russia and the West as the pro-Kremlin administrations of Mali and Burkina Faso issued a joint statement saying that Western intervention in Niger would potentially constitute an act of war against them.
The military junta in Niger was given one week to cede power before financial sanctions and military intervention would be considered by the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as Russian proxies looked more likely to expand their involvement.
While the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna denied any intention of deploying French troops to restore the deposed pro-western government, the leader of the Niger junta General Abdourahamane Tchiani, formerly chief of the Presidential Guard, said that Paris was seeking to undermine his nation’s sovereignty by intervening.
Despite backing Western foreign policy over Ukraine and Taiwan, the Meloni administration has taken a surprisingly anti-colonial stance since taking office last year, publicly shaming France for maintaining colonial power relations with Francophone West Africa.
Meloni is challenging French influence in West Africa as Rome pursues cooperation with various North African nations, such as Algeria and Tunisia, regarding energy and migration management, as Italy looks to get more assertive in its foreign policy.
Italy and France have clashed previously over Africa, when in 2018 they locked horns over the conflict in Libya, with both countries backing rival factions.
France has lost quite a bit of prestige in its former colonial sphere of influence in West Africa over the past decade. In reaction, President Macron is rumoured to soon make an emergency visit to Nigeria to lobby regional allies to intervene on France’s behalf.
Niger is also a strategically important American ally, as U.S. officials confirmed that Washington was not looking to withdraw its military personnel from the country. It simply wants to wait for the dust to settle on the domestic power struggle.
