Russia in struggle for Niger

The article is devoted to Russia's eff orts to stabilize the military-political situation in the Sahara-Sahel zone, primarily in Niger, and to assist in the economic development of the country, as well as the promotion of cultural ties in it. The attempts of the USA and France to keep this country in the orbit of their infl uence are analyzed. An attempt is being made to explain why on July 27, 2023, Niger became the third country in the Sahara-Sahel zone, where military personnel carried out a coup against the pro-Western Mohamed Bazoum, who held the presidency since April 2021. The coup was led by the commander of the Guard, General Abdurahman Ciani. On July 28, he was proclaimed interim head of State. The Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) has imposed economic sanctions against the country and has even considered military intervention. As before in Mali and Burkina Faso, during all these events, citizens of Niger shouted anti-French slogans and carried Russian flags, as well as symbols of the Wagner PMCs, which gave which gave the West a pretext to accuse Moscow of involvement in this. Many Russian political scientists interpreted the outbreak of hatred of Africans towards the former metropolis and increased sympathy for Russia as a continuation of the struggle against neocolonialism. Approximately the same explanation comes from the new military regimes in 3 countries of the Sahara-Sahel zone, where coups have taken place over the past 2 years. This was overlaid by the "shuttle diplomacy" of Deputy Defense Minister Yu-B. Yevkurov in August-September 2023, his numerous negotiations and meetings with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Central African Republic, after which a military-political alliance of the three Sahel countries was proclaimed on September 17, where coups took place. And all this against the background of the withdrawal of French troops and UN peacekeepers from Mali and the departure of French diplomats from Niger. Although in reality we are talking about the failure of the French colonial model of governance and development of the former colonies.