The situation in Niger, which has seen a coup this year, risks escalating into a regional and proxy war between France, the US and many of the coastal ECOWAS (west African union) states on one side, and the current regime in Niger supported by a block of Sahel countries (Bourkina Faso, Mali, Guinea) backed by Russia via the Wagner mercs on the other.

HistoryLegends has a pretty good and fairly balanced rundown of the situation, he does a good job of laying out the ethnic component of the strife in the Sahel, mainly the tension between the northern tribes, which have traditionally dominated the region, and the southern populations which have become more numerous and have taken over the region through the ballot.

🇪🇺🇳🇪Sanctions against Niger are starting to work - EU Special Envoy Emanuela del Re.

“There is not enough medicine, food, electricity is missing - even more than before,” she noted.

The diplomat stressed that if the EU wants "the junta to weaken", then the sanctions must be… pic.twitter.com/bc67m6tZ4z

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) August 9, 2023

BREAKING:

French troops ATTACKED the Nigerien National Guard and violated the country’s airspace according to the military junta in Niger pic.twitter.com/HvIb0JdZIR

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) August 9, 2023

Niger : "we care about Niger's democracry, trust me bro"

Upsssss......there is a gas pipeline project !!!
capacity 30 billion cubic meters, that a could replace part of the 55 billion cubic meters lost from Russia trough Nordstream 2.
Without this project, Europe can really say… pic.twitter.com/RMuAmPOIbg

— Angelo Giuliano 🇮🇹 🇨🇭/ living in 🇨🇳 (@Angelo4justice3) August 9, 2023

Whole continent in disarray because of colonialism.

going4roses said:

---

Whole continent in disarray because of colonialism.

---

That's mostly true, but there are many layers to that, including local tribal/ethnic dynamics (perhaps made worse due to colonial gerrymandering), global proxy wars between the US/France/UK and China/Russia, free trade, IMF/World Bank debt traps and monetary policy etc..

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8NDPkm9/

Gas Pipeline to Europe from Africa

Gabon has been the most stable and wealthiest west African nation in recent times.

Gabon's former President Omar Bongo had 70 bank accounts, 39 apartments, 2 Ferraris, 6 Mercedes Benz cars, 3 Porsches and a Bugatti in France.

He ruled for 42 years (from 1967 to 2009).

His son, Ali Bongo has been President since 2009.

He has just been overthrown in a coup. pic.twitter.com/HoKtfmgwZw

— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) August 30, 2023

The truth about the Africa's History