Questions over Putin’s influence in Niger as anti-imperialists fly Russian flags amid military coup

Striking images captured amid a violent military coup have raised urgent questions over just how deep Vladimir Putin’s influence penetrates.

Supporters of Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) wave Niger and Russian flags. Picture: AFP

Late last month, armed troops in Niger staged a coup, arrested the president and seized power. For many, it was yet another unfortunate example of a developing nation facing a dire internal conflict.

But for others, it may have presented an opportunity.

Images of the coup’s supporters in Niamey waving the Russian flag while denouncing the West and France would have amused officials in Moscow, who are fighting tooth and nail to win global favour as the Ukraine invasion continues.

Anti-imperialist movements, such as the newly-founded M62 group, staunchly oppose Western military presence in Niger. This sentiment has led to the belief that enlisting Russian military support via the Wagner group could assist Niger in its counter-terrorism efforts, something France has been criticised for failing to do.

Some M62 members are open about their aspirations for Niger to establish connections with the paramilitary Wagner forces. But the pro-Russia inclination is not limited to grassroots movements; it has also permeated the political sphere.

Abdouramane Oumarou from the Incin Africa party is known for his pan-African ideals and ties to Russia. He frequently shuttles between Russia and Niger to engage with influential figures. Another key player is Sulhu, president of the MPD party, who was apprehended on allegations of collaborating with a foreign entity to destabilise Niger, a scandal that also reportedly involved Russia.

There are indications that he received a substantial financial boost to facilitate such contacts.

Images of the coup’s supporters in Niamey waving the Russian flag while denouncing the West and France would have amused officials in Moscow.

Supporters of Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) wave Niger and Russian flags as they demonstrate in Niamey on August 6, 2023.

However, the coup could have international repercussions as security in the region worsens and acts of terrorism rise. In such an event, new military regimes, despite aligning with Russia, might find it challenging to sustain Moscow’s support over time.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he is wary of Wagner using the crisis as a means to further “manifest itself” in the region but did not openly blame Russian influence on the coup.

“I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but... they tried to take advantage of it,” he said.

“Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed. Insecurity has gone up, not down.”

Ukraine accuses Russia of inciting coup

While some analysts have refrained from directly linking Russia to the Niger crisis, Ukrainian officials have gone for the jugular.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said Putin’s administration was behind the abrupt takeover and will move to capitalise on the unstable situation by increasing their military presence in Africa.

“It is now absolutely clear that Russia is behind the so-called ‘military coup’ in Niger. It is a standard Russian tactic: to divert attention, seize the moment and expand the conflict,” Podolyak tweeted.

“Russia has a global scenario for provoking instability to undermine the global security order.

“Its time to draw the right conclusion: only the removal of Putin’s clan and sending Russia to political rebirth can guarantee the inviolability of rules and stability to the world.”

It is now absolutely clear that #Russia is behind the so-called "military coup" in #Niger. It is a standard Russian tactic: to divert attention, seize the moment and expand the conflict. The support expressed to the rebels by representatives of pro-Russian #Mali and Burkina Faso…

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 1, 2023

It came as the head of the controversial Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin said what is happening in Niger “is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers.

“With colonisers who are trying to foist their rules of life on them and their conditions and keep them in the state that Africa was in hundreds of years ago,” he added.

Prigozhin’s comments praising the removal of “colonisers” has raised a few questions, especially with several of his platoons scattered across the region.

“Today, this is effectively gaining their independence. The rest will without doubt depend on the citizens of Niger and how effective governance will be, but the main thing is this: they have got rid of the colonisers,” he continued.

A top Ukrainian official said ‘only the removal of Putin’s clan and sending Russia to political rebirth can guarantee the inviolability of rules and stability to the world’.

On Friday, West African leaders approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger, an intervention that will take place as soon as possible.

The ECOWAS regional bloc did not provide details on the force to be deployed or the timetable for action against the military officers who seized control of Niger two weeks ago.

“The Chiefs of Staff will have other conferences to finalize things but they have the agreement of the Conference of Heads of State for the operation to start as soon as possible,” Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara said.

Ivory Coast would provide a battalion of 850 to 1,100 men alongside soldiers from Nigeria and Benin, and other countries would join them, Ouattara said.

“We are determined to restore president Bazoum to his functions.” Earlier, in Abuja, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray had announced the deployment of the bloc’s force.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also voiced support for ECOWAS, without explicitly backing its call for military intervention.

The bloc was “playing a key role in making clear the imperative of a return to constitutional order, and we very much support ECOWAS’ leadership and work on this”, he said.

Former colonial power France gave its “full support to all the conclusions” ECOWAS reached, the foreign ministry said.

Fears for captured president

Ousted president Mohamed Bazoum now faces accusations from the new regime over “high treason”, as rebels continued to slam West African leaders for imposing sanctions on the country this week.

ECOWAS has not ruled out using force against the army officers who toppled the democratically elected Bazoum on July 26.

Niger’s military leaders said they would prosecute Bazoum “for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger”, according to a statement read out by Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane on national television.

Bazoum, 63, and his family have been held at the president’s official Niamey residence since the coup, with international concern mounting over his conditions in detention.

A member of his entourage said he saw his doctor on Saturday.

“After this visit, the doctor raised no problems regarding the state of health of the deposed president and members of his family,” the military said.

They also said sanctions imposed on Niger had made it difficult for people to access medicines, food and electricity, and were “illegal, inhumane and humiliating”.