MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2023) Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on Sunday acknowledged that France's policy in Africa is not particularly successful, while vouching for the continued presence of Paris in the Sahel region, battered by jihadist insurgency and illegal migration.
"It's true that French policy in Africa is not a great success right now ... But is it France's fault? I don't think so. France is an easy target for the populist discourse of certain opinions, especially on social media among African youth," Bazoum told the Financial Times, adding that adversaries of Paris "want to project an image of France as a neocolonial power."
Niger's president also sought to tame domestic criticism of the decision to ramp up France's military presence in the country by claiming that intelligence from Paris helped in fighting terrorism in the West African nation, the report said.
Bazoum noted that his country's institutions were growing stronger despite incessant problems of instability, poverty and hunger in some parts of the country. He also assured that there was "no chance" of a coup.
