By Felix Durumbah
France hit back at Niger Republic over the latter’s claim that the foreign power was colluding with Nigeria to destabilize the West African nation, describing it as “baseless.”
France said Niger’s claims that Nigeria had provided space for a French military base or given money to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for same were unfounded as such matters had never been discussed or suggested by either France or Nigeria.
Political Counsellor of the French Embassy in Nigeria, Bertrand de Seissan, disclosed these while speaking with the Nigerian government-owned News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the country’s capital.
He said:”This claim is baseless. It has never been discussed, nor suggested by either France or Nigeria.”
Recall that leader of the Niger ruling military junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, while speaking with TRT Afrika Hausa, had alleged that France planned to destabilize his country by using Nigeria and Republic of Benin,both of which are contiguous to Niger, as staging grounds for attacks.
TRT Afrika Hausa is the Hausa language programming on the TRT Afrika digital news platform, a subsidiary of Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).
The platform focuses on delivering news and content in about four Africa-wide languages including Hausa, French, English and Swahili.
According to Gen. Tchiani, France was negotiating with terrorist groups such as Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP) to form another terrorist group, the Lakurawa, in Nigeria to create crisis in Niger, alleging further that France made a “substantial payment to President Bola Tinubu” for the setting up of a military base in Nigeria.
France, Niger’s colonial overlord, has had a bitter run-in with Nigeria’s northern neighbour since Tchiani,head of security to the democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum, overthrew the latter on July 26,2023.
Spontaneous demonstrations broke out in Niamey,the country’s capital, in solidarity with the coup leaders as most of the populace saw Bazoum as a mere stooge of the French, especially as Niger has major deposits of uranium, much needed by the West.
Bazoum is presently imprisoned in Niamey.
Since then, Niger has sacked the French military base in the country while her relations with her former colonial master is at its lowest ever even as Niger, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso,former French colonies too, quit the Tinubu-led Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over concerns, among others, that the latter was being remote controlled by the French and other foreign interests.
The Nigerian government has consistently denied being used by any nation to destabilize Niger, describing such claims as false and fabrication by a junta that seeks diversion of its restive people’s attention after realizing the harsh economic realities on ground in the country.
