France is facing challenges. Despite their repeated profess to save "the dignity of France", the global wave of anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movements made it impossible for them to maintain a presence in West Africa. After months of conflict with the West African country, Macron finally withdrew the last French troops in Niger on December 22. However, it remains to be seen whether this means the end of the colonial era that has lasted for more than 500 years, especially for West African countries that have long been plagued by poverty and war, and the removal of colonizers is only the beginning of the challenge. The Nigerien military confirmed on the 22nd that the last group of about 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger had withdrawn from the capital Niamey. Prior to this, on the 19th, France*** also announced that due to restrictions in Niger**, France** decided to close its embassy in Niger indefinitely.
Interestingly, according to the Associated Press, on the 21st, France** Macron issued a statement saying that France will continue to participate in the affairs of the Sahel region of Africa, but in a different way, and does not seem to be affected by the previous failure to withdraw troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The Sahel refers to sub-Saharan African countries that span the entire continent and includes countries such as Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mauritania. Most of these countries belong to the world's least developed countries, and despite their abundant natural and mineral resources, their per capita GDP has always been at the bottom, poverty levels are beyond imagination, and wars, coups, genocide and other events occur from time to time. Although France has withdrawn its troops from Niger, this does not mean that they will completely withdraw from the affairs of the Sahel region in Africa, only that they will participate in a different way.
The misfortune suffered by these countries stems from the fact that they have been plundered by colonialists for hundreds of years, especially in the poor and weak countries of West Africa, such as Mali and Niger. France has always regarded West Africa as its sphere of influence, especially after losing Algeria and the Suez Canal after World War II, and shifted its colonial focus to West Africa. There are many ethnic groups, complex religions and abundant resources, which is an ideal place for raw materials and commodity dumping. The large number of ethnic groups and the complexity of religion mean that it is easy to provoke contradictions, and resource-rich countries such as Gabon and Niger have a large number of uranium mines, whether it is the development of nuclear energy or the manufacture of nuclear **, uranium is an indispensable raw material. According to statistics, the value of uranium mines plundered by France from these countries every year is in the billions of dollars. Therefore, France vigorously develops nuclear energy entirely because the countries that control these uranium-rich mines can obtain large quantities of nuclear materials at extremely low **.
This also explains why France has been reluctant to let go, and even when forced to leave, Macron insists on "continuing to participate in regional affairs". As a result of 126 years of French colonial rule in countries such as Niger, it has established deep roots in these regions. In matters such as electricity, transportation, and security, it will be difficult for these countries to get rid of the manipulation of large powers such as France in the short term. Even more worrying is the fact that even with the withdrawal of French troops, Niger still has some U.S., German and Italian troops in its country. Therefore, in France's view, poor and weak countries such as Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso may be able to establish an independent regime in the short term, but in the long run, it is difficult for these countries to ensure the normal functioning of the country, and even *** is difficult to fully guarantee. Niger and other West African countries are well aware of this truth, so the new ** soon announced that it would accept Russia as a new security partner.
It is worth noting that the Wagner Group, which has been co-opted by the Russian Ministry of Defense, maintains a sizable armed force in Mali, which serves not only as a basis for the expansion of Russia's influence in Africa, but also as a counterattack to France's support for Ukraine. What is certain is that France, a country known for its usurious imperialism, will not easily abandon its gold-mining colony in West Africa. Next, France will use all means to infiltrate and influence the political and business circles of Mali, Niger and other countries, also to counter the United States and Russia, which are trying to expand their influence in Africa. However, the future outcome is difficult to predict, after all, France was too brutal in colonizing and controlling these countries, which caused a strong resentment among the people. Even normal diplomatic exchanges may not be possible, let alone the opportunity for France to resume its colonization campaign. (France has handed over the military base to the Nigerien military).
Perhaps the greatest benefit lies in the withdrawal of the French team, which will be seen by other African countries as an excellent opportunity to fight for independence, encouraging them to drive Western colonial forces out of the country forever, setting off a second independence movement, and establishing a completely independent and sovereign state. Macron's concession may only be the beginning of a domino effect, after all, the old Western-dominated order is no longer popular. Of course, the process is bound to be challenging. One of the reasons why France agreed to withdraw its troops at this time is because the Russia-Ukraine conflict has changed the geopolitical landscape, and the rivalry between China and the United States has also affected the global situation. France's temporary contraction was done for self-preservation, and once the pressure eased slightly, these colonists would still try to make a comeback.