By Michael Kramer
December 3, 2025

The revolutionary Alliance of Sahel States (AES), whose foundation is Pan-Africanism, consists of member states Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. All are former French colonies that have been continually victimized by imperialism and neocolonialism since they became independent in 1960.

For the AES countries, independence turned out to be dependence on France: no industrialization, minimum infrastructure, French control of the currency and the profitable gold and uranium mining industries, and the import of goods and services — all based on decisions made in Paris. French air and ground troops had bases in each country.

The U.S. also had three bases in Niger: Air Base 101 in the capital Niamey at the international airport; Air Base 201 in Agadez, operated by the Pentagon’s Africa Command and located 600 miles from the capital; and a C.I.A. base in Dirkou, an isolated oasis in the Sahara desert.

On July 26, 2023, General Abdourahamane Tchiani led a military coup by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland in alliance with the anti-imperialist and Pan-African M62 Movement. Tchiani is now Niger’s president and chef d’état (chief of state). The coup quickly received support from Captain Ibrahim Traore, the president and chef d’état of Burkina Faso and General Assimi Goïta, the president of Mali.

Soon after the coup, the heroic people of Niger began a series of historic, highly disciplined, successful mass mobilizations surrounding all the bases of the foreign troops in the country as well as the French Embassy in Niamey: nothing in, nothing out. On Dec. 22, 2023, the last French military aircraft and troops left Niger. And on Sept. 15, 2024, the U.S. was out too, and their bases were turned over to the Nigerien Armed Forces (FAN).

Niger faces many difficulties

It has not been easy for Niger. Armed groups with known and unknown agendas move through rural and remote parts of the country, armed with weapons from armories and warehouses in Libya that suspiciously became available after NATO attacked Libya in 2011.

But Niger is moving forward in alliance with Burkina Faso and Mali. In June 2025 Niger nationalized both a giant French-owned uranium mine and the Niger

Electricity Company. Both Burkina Faso and Mali have recently nationalized foreign-owned gold mines.

As reported by Pavan Kulkarni, “Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Niger between November 8 and 20 to greet their president, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who was on an unprecedented trip to all seven regions by road in a 12-day-long journey.” (peoplesdispatch.org, Nov. 26)

According to Abdullahi Salifou, Deputy Secretary of the Convergence for the National Sovereignty of the Sahel (COSNAS): “Stopping at every village on route,

[Tchiani] met the traditional chiefs, women’s organizations, farmers and civil society groups like COSNAS and M62 that had led the demonstrations demanding withdrawal of French troops. Entire towns and villages were out to greet him. Crowds were even larger than the mass mobilizations celebrating his coup.”

Tchiani visited the large recently nationalized uranium mine where he addressed the mine workers. He visited military bases on the front line, regions on the southwestern border with Benin and regions in the Sahara near the border with Algeria.

The tour ended in the eastern region of Diffa, near the borders of Chad and Nigeria. Aboubakar Alassane of the West Africa Peoples Organization (WAPO)

observed: “Tens of thousands swarmed the National Route No. 1 to welcome Tchiani as he entered Diffa city. There was never such a large gathering in Diffa before.”

General Tchiani spoke to the people of Diffa and separately to soldiers at a nearby military base. He explained that the insecurity in the region “has no connection with Islam. On the contrary, it is a situation born from the desire of neo-colonial powers to continue their domination over our people.”

General Tchiani flew back to Niamey from Diffa and was greeted by tens of thousands more people lining the street as he walked the 7 1/2 miles from the airport to the Presidential Palace. When he passed, the people left the sides of the street and followed him along the route.

Abdourahamane Oumarou, President de Urgences Panafricanistes en Niger, said:

“Entering the Palace carried by this human tide, General Tchiani demonstrated that his true legitimacy comes from the people. It reveals a Chief in symbiosis with his people, protected not by armored vehicles but by the energy of thousands of citizens.”

Solidarity with Niger! Solidarity with the AES!