2023-08-04 21:36:30
In the midst of the crisis in Niger, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced “Russia’s opportunistic attitude”, in particular via the presence of the Wagner militia in the region.
“Looting”, “exactions”, “terrorist threat” … This Friday evening on BFMTV, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the growing influence of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner – and therefore of Moscow – in the Sahel, while a coup took place in Niger on July 26th.
“We know what Wagner represents today in the region, in Mali, in the Central African Republic, in Mozambique: It is the recipe for chaos, for the plundering of resources, for exactions against the populations and for an upsurge in terrorist threat”, analyzed Anne-Claire Legendre on our antenna.
Indeed, the presence of the Wagner militia is attested in several neighboring countries of Niger including Mali and Libya, bordering, as well as in the Central African Republic and Sudan, in particular. It is also suspected in Burkina Faso and Guinea.
Russia, a “threat”
While Russia called on Wednesday for “dialogue” to avoid a “deterioration of the situation” in Niger, the spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay sees “an opportunistic attitude from Russia which is trying to support destabilization movements”, even if “we cannot say today that there is any direct involvement of Russia in this coup”.
She thus took up the words of her minister on Monday on our antenna. Catherine Colonna had denounced the presence of “all the usual ingredients of destabilization in the Russian-African way”, pointing out the many Russian flags and the “anti-French slogans copied and pasted from those that can be seen elsewhere.”
Anne-Claire Legendre, who condemned an “unacceptable” situation which is “deteriorating” for President-elect Mohamed Bazoum, concluded: “It is a threat that we are watching very carefully.”
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