since people are a little confused by this (why would the US want uranium?) let me break it down a little bit more
Niger is the fourth largest producer of uranium in the world, accounting for 7.5% of the uranium today. There are two uranium mines operating in Niger today. Both mines are operated by two national mining companies, which are subsidiaries of the French nuclear/renewable energy AREVA company (which is majority-owned by the French government): SOMAIR (open pit) and COMINAK (underground)- the Nigerian government holds a minority share in both of these companies (majority of COMINAK being held by foreign governments of France, Japan, and Spain, and the majority of SOMAIR being held by AREVA) and so the country’s uranium resources are largely controlled by France.
Quick history lesson: France colonized Niger beginning in the late 1890s during the “scramble for Africa” which was largely set in motion during the 1885 Berlin Conference in the context of the rapid monopolization and financialization of capital in major economies (W. Europe and the US). The Voulet-Chanoine Mission, which set out to unify French territories in Africa while “pacifying” the native population, signaled the start of a major colonial mission. French troops began pillaging, looting, raping, and slaughtering civilians in this war, often burning and massacring entire villages. One of the worst massacres occurred in the village of Birni-N’Konni in Niger, where it is estimated thousands were killed in retaliation of the deaths of 4 soldiers.
This genocide was not met without resistance however. The Kaocen rebellion of the Taureg and the Battle of Longou of the Hausa led by Sarraounia Magou (a woman chief of indigenous Anza people and one of the few who did not submit to French power). After the defeat at Longou, Sarraounia continued to lead guerrilla warfare against the colonial power. She was never captured.
Niger gained its nominal independence in 1960, however it is still largely within the neocolonial control of France. In addition to the control French firms like Areva have over its industries, Niger (along with other former French colonies) are still forced to pay colonial debt to their former colonizer. On top of that, Niger also faces huge amounts of debt imposed on it by western financial institutions like the IMF, and is largely dependent on these institutions.
So what does this have to do with why the US is in the country?
First, the US and France are close allies in imperialism. Not only in Niger but worldwide. And financial institutions that create debt and dependency for countries in the global South are largely beholden to the interests of Washington and Wall Street.
The US is in Niger as part of the AFRICOM, a program created by Bush jr. and expanded by Obama which coordinates US military efforts in Africa (except Egypt). While the proclaimed goal of this is “counterterrorism”, the objective of neutralizing resistance to neocolonial governments is really to ensure the safety of financial interests on the continent. It should be clear that no overseas US operation is truly “counterterrorism”- especially with AFRICOM, which had its first major combatant deployment in Libya in 2011, killing hundreds in an air campaign that turned Libya into one of the most unstable states in the region with a major humanitarian crisis.
The US is building drone bases and establishing financial hegemony arm in arm with the French in Niger, under the guise of fighting “Islamic extremism”. The current government of Niger, led by Mahamadou Issoufou, has been described as a “friend of the West”. This is neocolonialism in its most blatant and unforgiving form.
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
