Nigerien deputies debated Friday, April 22 on the presence of foreign forces to fight jihadists in their country, before voting for or against, noted an AFP journalist.
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"
Establishing new partnerships in no way calls into question our sovereignty over the national territory
", assured Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou before the 166 parliamentarians, affirming that Niger "
is almost surrounded by armed terrorist groups
".
Support from Western countries
In its fight against jihadist movements linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group, Niger enjoys the support of several Western countries, including France and the United States, which have military bases in Niamey and in the region. Agadez region (north).
But Nigerien NGOs denounce this presence of foreign soldiers whom they consider to be "
occupying forces
" and "
a threat to the sovereignty of the country
".
It is "
in view of the controversies
" around the presence of "
allied forces
" that "
the government has proposed a text
" which indicates "
unequivocally the openness of our country to conclude alliances
" against the jihadists, justified the Prime Minister.
"Niger alone cannot wage this war, the search for partners is necessary and we have made our choice, that of France"
Yacine Ben Mohamed
The outcome of the vote leaves little room for doubt, with President Mohamed Bazoum's ruling party having an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.
“
The forthcoming withdrawal
” of the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane and European Takuba from Mali “
constitutes an important factor in the aggravation of the security situation
” along the 800 km border between Niger and Mali, estimated the head of the government.
"
Choice
" of France
“
New establishments of foreign special forces will be created closer to the theaters of operation (near Mali)
” whose “
rules of engagement
” will be the subject
of “agreements in accordance with the constitutional and legal provisions of our country
”, he continued.
“
We cannot give the government a blank check,
” said Soumana Sanda, an opposition parliamentarian, another referring to “grey
areas
”.
"
Niger alone cannot wage this war, the search for partners is necessarily necessary and we have made our choice, that of France
", for his part affirmed the deputy of the majority, Yacine Ben Mohamed.
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In addition to the foreign special forces of France and the United States already present, Niger has declared itself ready to welcome others.
According to the head of government, "
despite the efforts made
" to contain the threat, "
the human and economic toll is heavy
".
In 2021, more than 800 mostly civilian victims were counted, and 758 schools housing 72,981 students were still closed as of January 31, 2022, according to him.
