Bulletin N°37 aout 2023 The situation in Niger is evolving towards a prospect of taking back control of its destiny and its resources by the Nigerien people. Since the military took power, demonstrations of support have multiplied.
An important text from all the trade union confederations of Niger
It is particularly important for the Communist Revolutionary Party to look at and analyze the positions of workers' organizations. Thus, all of the country's union confederations, grouped into three inter-union associations, signed a common text giving their point of view on the situation on August 3.
In this text, the unions denounce France's maneuvers, in particular its desire, after taking power, " to carry out strikes on the presidential palace of Niamey located in the heart of the capital populated by more than two million inhabitants , a few meters from the National Hospital of Niamey, 400 meters from the university hospital center and the University of Niamey . They mention the attempted landing at Niamey airport of “ two hundred elements of French special forces, coming from a neighboring country ”. The French state therefore tried to intervene from the first days of the overthrow of President Bazoum, in the service of the interests of French and Western imperialism.
The united trade union organizations condemn the anti-social sanctions of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and its exploitation by France, which pushed and still pushes for military intervention by the countries which constitute this economic and supports their ultimatum. Here is what the inter-union text says: “ What a sad fate for an organization supposed to promote the economic integration of member countries, reduced today to protecting corrupt heads of state, poorly elected and vomited up by their people! Who finances this organization which has never had the means to equip the armies of member countries to face terrorism, if not France? ".
The trade union confederations are contacting the National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland (CNSP, formed by the military) to express their immediate demands. The inter-union “ asks the CNSP to denounce the colonial agreements and demands in particular the departure of the French ambassador and all foreign forces from Niger ”. Further, it “ asks the CNSP to bring all authors, co-authors and accomplices of the misappropriation of public property before the courts ”.
Faced with the threat of military intervention led by France, the UAS-Niger (Union Action Unit, this is the name of the grouping of trade union confederations): “Salutes and congratulates the worthy, fraternal, courageous and pan-Africanist decision of the sister countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Conakry for accompanying us in this ordeal. It also welcomes the responsible positions of the sister countries of Algeria and Mauritania vis-à-vis the decisions of ECOWAS . And, to face the possible military intervention, she ends her text with an appeal to all Nigeriens in general and to workers in particular “ to mobilize around the CNSP and to be ready day and night, permanently in order to respond promptly to the multiple facets of the enemy .”
This text signed by all the confederated trade union organizations of Niger, including the collective of traders' unions, clearly indicates the state of mind of the workers' organizations: to defend their country and put an end to the residue of colonization.
The slogan of neocolonialism: the return to constitutional order
This is the leitmotif of the imperialist countries concerned, France, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, and the USA through that of the Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, a great expert on the subject. of coups d'état, since it has organized several, outside the USA.
On this subject, we do not remember that, during the fascist Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014, the imperialist powers of the bloc around the USA, nor their so-called "international community" demanded a return to the constitutional order.
These variable geometry reactions clearly indicate to us that real democracy is the least of the imperialists' concerns; what only matters to them is the monopolization of natural resources and the profits of the big capitalists.
The specter of Russia to hide the real reasons for the revolts
The Communist Revolutionary Party has repeatedly spoken out about the imperialist war in Ukraine. He harbors no illusions about Russian imperialism. It is obvious that Russian and especially Chinese capitalists, as well as their respective states, are ready to take advantage of the growing desire of African peoples to get rid of the old French colonial tutelage and the more recent American tutelage.
But to explain that in Niger it is only a fight between the aging colonialist powers and the new ones is completely false. There is intense propaganda, notably from Macron and Blinken, the US Secretary of State, who explains to us that Wagner's mercenaries are installed everywhere in Niger, without proof. The international sector of the CGT also relays this “information”.
In Ukraine, there is an imperialist war, but in Niger, there is this growing desire of the French-speaking peoples of West Africa to see an end to the pillaging of their resources and to drive out the French soldiers who are in residence there. .
ECOWAS warmongers in difficulty
The ultimatum has passed, and no one sees anything coming yet. There is every reason to continue to be vigilant, the possibility of direct or indirect French intervention is not over. But the leaders of the warlike ECOWAS countries must reckon with their people, who do not want war in the Sahel. This is particularly the case of the warmongering President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu. They are also sensitive to Algeria's very firm position on this subject, which condemns any intervention in Niger.
These difficulties of the ECOWAS leaders can only rejoice the progressives of all countries. Like them, the Communist Revolutionary Party is opposed to any military intervention in Niger whether it comes from the French state or its minions or the USA.
Hands off, neocolonialists outside Niger!
The "right of intervention" was theorized, after the end of the socialist countries, among others, by Bernard Kouchner, who was recently surprised that there had not also been intervention in Mali, Burkina or in Guinea. It is a decoy, like all the artifices deployed by the imperialist powers. The whole question is that of defending the interests of their capitalists.
For the Communist Revolutionary Party, the affairs of Niger only concern Nigeriens and certainly not the neocolonial powers. The workers and people of Niger are capable of resolving their affairs and do not need anyone to decide for them, only the solidarity of the people of the world.
The wealth of Nigerien soil does not belong to French or American capitalists, nor to the corrupt people who serve them, like Bazoum. They belong to the Nigerien people and must return to them.
Long live the people of Niger and the internationalist solidarity to support them.