• @GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    -11 year ago

    That’s a pretty cynical world view. The president was democratically elected by Nigeriens and has support from the majority of the public. Speculation suggests that General Abdourahamane Tchiani initiated the coup because he’s 62 and was about to be dismissed from his position in the government. He cites security risks that were ignored near Niger’s borders, but there’s not been much evidence of that.

    Sure it helps the West to have a more stable, democratic president at the helm of the country you could trade with, but that doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily exploiting the country. France wants to ensure that their supply of uranium fuel isn’t disrupted and the idea of cutting off the export of uranium to the rest of the world was floated by Tchiani. Without the uranium exports, Niger’s net international trade value drops by 15% (-$1.75B to -$2B).