Speech Commemorating the Anniversary of Niger's Coup

Translation & Overview

Considering the importance of the Sahel region to the Islamic State’s propaganda efforts in advertising the insurgent activities of its affiliates, it is also helpful to have some overview of the political dynamics in the Sahel countries (primarily Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger). As it happens, yesterday marked the first anniversary of the coup in Niger that deposed the government of Mohamed Bazoum. The head of the new government- Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tchiani- gave a speech in French to commemorate the coup, and the speech itself provides a useful overview of Niger’s trajectory and policies since the coup, and accordingly I have translated it in full.

The coup in Niger was widely seen as a blow to Western influence in the Sahel and it is not difficult to see why from the speech. Tchiani frames the coup as a popular movement against the “neo-colonial order” and characterises the Bazoum government as having been an authoritarian vassal of France with a democratic facade. The coup then became a “vast movement of national liberation and recovering popular dignity,” which seeks to bring Niger’s natural resources back into the hands of the people and develop domestic productivity to counter the impact of sanctions imposed by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), from which Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are all presently suspended. The speech also references cutting ties with France and the United States in various ways, and the solidification of the alliance between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.