West African Crisis

[CumbrianLefty]

Asking Jfern not to be a red-brown tankie is asking a fish not to swim

Isn't this a tautology?

[Hindsight was 2020]

Calling France neocolonialist in Africa is also “tankie” now?



It’s really becoming the Western scapegoat word for any criticism towards any Western country. Poor innocent French who only ever wanted to help Africa!

No Jfern is a tankie due to his long history of tankie style posting I’ve seen him make going back to 2016 when I first joined

[Meclazine for Israel]

West Africa has been in crisis for its entire existence, lmao.

Yes, but the French colonies have better food.

The locals have not lost their desire for the baguette, the croissant, the omelette aux tomates et oignons, cheese and butter. The souffle and the crème brûlée.

You learn a language pretty quick when you are hungry.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It's an interesting comment on how little many self-professed Third Worldists actually care about Africans that they regard military coups against democratically-elected governments to be good things. It is true, of course, that there is not a single democracy in Africa that is not severely flawed, and this is very unfortunate, but the record of military rule across the continent has been baleful in the extreme. Even flawed, imperfect and partial (yes even partial) democracies are infinitely preferable to the return of rule by the Big Man and his pack of colonels. We all know how this story ends. We've all seen it enough.

[Zinneke]

https://twitter.com/elischerafrica/status/1687140423037329409

https://twitter.com/jh_barnett/status/1686766980542369792

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/casusbellii/status/1687193146050936833?s=20

[Anti-Trump Truth Socialite JD Vance Enjoying Juror]

Have any nations other than Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Mali made statements about potential intervention? I know it would be an ECOWAS action, but it’s possible not all members participate.

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

Have any nations other than Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Mali made statements about potential intervention? I know it would be an ECOWAS action, but it’s possible not all members participate.

Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Senegal announced their support for an intervention, Iran sent the head of the Quds Force on a flight to Niamey and Guinea-Bissau was notably the only non-couped ECOWAS nation to not even bother sending representatives to their big strategy meeting.

[Storr]

Have any nations other than Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Mali made statements about potential intervention? I know it would be an ECOWAS action, but it’s possible not all members participate.

Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Senegal announced their support for an intervention, Iran sent the head of the Quds Force on a flight to Niamey and Guinea-Bissau was notably the only non-couped ECOWAS nation to not even bother sending representatives to their big strategy meeting.

Yep, those are the same ECOWAS countries I've seen mentioned:

https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1687131948039151616?s=20

[Aurelius2]

Mali and Guinea don't surprise me. What's Burkina Faso's reason for siding with the coupists? I'm not particularly familiar with their history or politics.

[Aurelius2]

Also, having recently read Dictatorland, the strong-seeming regional response is a big improvement from the 70s thru 90s, when it was pretty much constant coups everywhere, proxy wars between the US and the Soviets, Gaddafi meddling in everything, and nobody seemed to give a damn.

[Agafin]

What's Burkina Faso's reason for siding with the coupists?

I mean, Burkina Faso had two coups last year. The current leader is the result of a coup in September 2022. So their support for the nigerien putshists is not really a surprise.

I still think a military intervention is unlikely, but if it where to happen, Senegal would 100% be among the first countries to send a miltary contingent. President Sall is probably feeling very vulnerable and would want to deter any such aspirations in his own country. Even though he has decided to not run for another term, he's still done stuff like keeping Sonko locked up and dissolving his political party which means he absolutely doesn't want power to be passed to someone not explicitly approved by him.

[Florida Man for Crime]

https://twitter.com/jh_barnett/status/1686766980542369792

And the reasons are? Presumably to deter coup attempts in their own countries, but anything else?

[All Along The Watchtower]

Neither the presence of Wagner/Concord, nor Chinese investment are serious reasons to be panicked about eroding Western influence in Africa. Those aren’t desirable by any means but they’re not in and of themselves much of a threat to the West.

Far more concerning, besides the dismantling of a country’s democracy by a military coup, is the potential for instability, civil conflict, and state failure—and in this particular case, there are already-powerful jihadist groups in the region that very much are a threat to the West, and everyone else, and that stand to benefit from this crisis…

[Person Man]

Neither the presence of Wagner/Concord, nor Chinese investment are serious reasons to be panicked about eroding Western influence in Africa. Those aren’t desirable by any means but they’re not in and of themselves much of a threat to the West.

Far more concerning, besides the dismantling of a country’s democracy by a military coup, is the potential for instability, civil conflict, and state failure—and in this particular case, there are already-powerful jihadist groups in the region that very much are a threat to the West, and everyone else, and that stand to benefit from this crisis…

We need to be doing more to fight them there so we don’t have to them here.

[Lykaon]

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1687552199302205440?s=20


President Tinubu of Nigeria has put forward a request to authorize military action against the putschists in Niger. I expect it to be passed.

Hopefully it’ll be a quick operation and the legitimate government will be restored. Bonus if burkina faso and Mali do something stupid and get Nigeria’s alliance after them too. Nigeria may come out of this as the undisputed force for good in Africa

[Oleg 🇰🇿🤝🇺🇦]

Neither the presence of Wagner/Concord, nor Chinese investment are serious reasons to be panicked about eroding Western influence in Africa. Those aren’t desirable by any means but they’re not in and of themselves much of a threat to the West.

It is a threat to the West in international political decisions. There are 53 African countries in Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, and 53 "Yes, my dear Xi" countries is about a third of the number of all countries in the world.

[Lykaon]

https://twitter.com/region776/status/1687690761926803457?s=20

Nigeria is staging troops in the north. It looks like it might be a go for this weekend

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's an interesting comment on how little many self-professed Third Worldists actually care about Africans that they regard military coups against democratically-elected governments to be good things. It is true, of course, that there is not a single democracy in Africa that is not severely flawed, and this is very unfortunate, but the record of military rule across the continent has been baleful in the extreme. Even flawed, imperfect and partial (yes even partial) democracies are infinitely preferable to the return of rule by the Big Man and his pack of colonels. We all know how this story ends. We've all seen it enough.

Self-determination in the Third World is when generals overthrow elected governments. The less color of law they have in doing so, the self-determineder it is.

[Battista Minola 1616]

I just saw an article that informed me that a few days ago Sierra Leone arrested a group of high-ranking officers who were supposedly plotting a coup and using upcoming peaceful protests as a cover. As a consequence, President Julius Maada Bio chose against attending the ECOWAS summit in Abuja. Sierra Leone has been a pretty stable democracy ever since its unspeakably brutal civil war ended in 2002; Maada Bio was elected to a second term just a couple months ago amidst alleged irregularities and inconsistencies. West African crisis indeed...

[Oleg 🇰🇿🤝🇺🇦]

I just saw an article that informed me that a few days ago Sierra Leone arrested a group of high-ranking officers who were supposedly plotting a coup and using upcoming peaceful protests as a cover. As a consequence, President Julius Maada Bio chose against attending the ECOWAS summit in Abuja. Sierra Leone has been a pretty stable democracy ever since its unspeakably brutal civil war ended in 2002; Maada Bio was elected to a second term just a couple months ago amidst alleged irregularities and inconsistencies. West African crisis indeed...

Under of Chinese soft power and Russian hard power, ECOWAS is melting like snow, so only one or two countries may remain in it before the start of hostilities.

[PSOL]

It's an interesting comment on how little many self-professed Third Worldists actually care about Africans that they regard military coups against democratically-elected governments to be good things. It is true, of course, that there is not a single democracy in Africa that is not severely flawed, and this is very unfortunate, but the record of military rule across the continent has been baleful in the extreme. Even flawed, imperfect and partial (yes even partial) democracies are infinitely preferable to the return of rule by the Big Man and his pack of colonels. We all know how this story ends. We've all seen it enough.

Self-determination in the Third World is when generals overthrow elected governments. The less color of law they have in doing so, the self-determineder it is.

Words with no substance all you have?

[Agafin]

Tinubu might fail to get approval from northern senators. I guess they don't want to have a war at their border. Or maybe they feel some solidarity with the coupists (ethnotribal solidarity, this is Africa afterall). Whatever the case, the Northern caucus has 57 senators (out of a total of 109) so if they all vote against, it's over. But it's unlikely that they all vote against. A lot of them are APC members and can be whipped to vote with the president. On the other hand, I have a hard time seeing the opposition supporting the war (especially Labour, since they hate Tinubu).

https://thesourceng.com/niger-coup-senate-may-reject-military-option-as-northern-senators-warn-tinubu-against-it-frown-at-sanctions/

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's an interesting comment on how little many self-professed Third Worldists actually care about Africans that they regard military coups against democratically-elected governments to be good things. It is true, of course, that there is not a single democracy in Africa that is not severely flawed, and this is very unfortunate, but the record of military rule across the continent has been baleful in the extreme. Even flawed, imperfect and partial (yes even partial) democracies are infinitely preferable to the return of rule by the Big Man and his pack of colonels. We all know how this story ends. We've all seen it enough.

Self-determination in the Third World is when generals overthrow elected governments. The less color of law they have in doing so, the self-determineder it is.

Words with no substance all you have?

I don't understand what you're accusing me of.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Africa's problems are deep-rooted and multi-faceted, I don't think we can necessarily call this coup clearly good or bad simply from the process it followed. Not only are African state institutions weak compared to other parts of the world (military or otherwise), but there's a long track record of Africans getting failed by all sorts of governments.