Demonstrations at the French embassy in Niamey (Niger), August 3. -/AFP
INTERVIEW – While not wanting to invest too much in Niger, the United States finds that the French are being driven out and that the void must be filled, “explains Michael Shurkin, director of programs at 14 North Strategies.
Michael Shurkin is director of programs at 14 North Strategies, a consultancy specializing in African affairs.
Le Figaro. – In Niger, why does the United States mark its difference with France?
Michael SHURKIN. – I believe that Americans are increasingly realizing that France’s position is not productive. By aligning ourselves with it, we reap what it sows. The United States has sympathy for what France is saying in Niger because the two have invested a lot in President Mohamed Bazoum and in the security of the country, with the deployment of men, the construction of bases…
France and the United States have the same interests and the same objectives. But, despite everything, it is also clear that the French positions are not giving good results. We saw it in Mali or in the Central African Republic. Paris closes the doors and burns the bridges, without positive effect, and what’s more, it opens the way to the Russians. Americans are also hesitant to talk about a coup d’état…
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