Niger’s military government has announced the nationalisation of the country’s sole industrial gold mine, accusing its Australian operator of “serious breaches” as the junta seeks greater control of natural resources.
The military junta has ruled the West African nation since seizing power in a 2023 coup, promising to crack down on Niger’s myriad security issues.
Juntas in Niger, neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali have ramped up pressure on foreign mining companies in recent years, with Niger nationalising the local branch of French uranium giant Orano in June.
Fuck yeah
I’d approve more if it wasn’t a military dictatorship doing this.
It never ends well.
Good thing the people of Niger don’t need your fucking approval.
Take this chauvinist bs somewhere else.
Why Stan for a dictatorship?
You probably stan zelensky, Mr “cancel all elections and make certain parties illegal” without a hint of irony.
No, it’s a fucked up thing to do.
I understand why he wanted to. Fighting off the unprovoked invasion from Russia does tend to sap a country’s attention. But even so, it’s the duty of democracies to fight against dictatorships. Or at least it should be… I can’t say that many live up to even that low bar… But I’d still take even a broken democracy over any form of dictatorship.
Niger should have the ability to chart its own course. Nationalizing industry previously imperialized by the west is the only way out of the thumb of imperialism and underdevelopment, Niger doesn’t need the approval of foreigners in order to exert their own sovereignty.
Military dictatorship. Enough said.
Just look at the other military dictatorships of Africa and tell me that the people are charting their own destiny.
Very big difference between a popularly-supported anti-imperialist government and western-backed compradors, and pretending there isn’t is just a way to legitimize the western intent on plundering and punishing the Sahel States for kicking out the imperialists. Enough said.
Again, military dictatorship.
For contrast, the Nazis were considered broadly popular in Germany in the 1930s.
But a dictatorship is always a dictatorship. It’s never good for the people, regardless of how much they like the boot on their neck.
But it’s a local boot and not a foreign boot. So that makes it okay. somehow.
This is pure chauvanism, the Nazis gained popularity through colonizing their neighbors and appealing to racist conspiracy. The government of Niger is popular because they kicked out the imperialists and have been investing in development, and you’re finger-wagging the people of Niger as though you know better than them.
I can’t find any actual evidence that the Military Junta is in any way popular…
They seem to have crashed the economy, then implemented a law that lets the military rob from the rest of the government in order to enrich themselves.
They partnered with various mercenary groups, including the Wagner group, to put down juhadists and dissidents as if those were the same thing…
Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a military dictatorship.
Niger was hit with massive sanctions following the coup in 2023, which heavily damaged the economy. Sanctions are an act of brutal imperialist violence. On the economic side, Abdourahamane Tchiani’s government has been nationalizing key industries and kicking out French and Australian imperialists. Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso make up the Alliance of Sahel States, which together have been banding together to kick out foreign plunderers and have been developing rapidly because of it. The West has, as a response, sponsored terrorist groups and mercenaries against them.
Stop batting for imperialism.