West losing ground in West Africa and the Sahel | DW News

Summary

Germany's military withdrawal from Niger marks a significant shift in Western presence in West Africa. The Bundeswehr's mission, which began in 2016 to support UN operations in Mali and train Nigerien forces, has ended due to a coup in 2023. This coup led to a realignment towards non-Western allies, particularly Russia, for support. The withdrawal is part of a broader trend of Western nations losing influence in the region, with implications for counter-terrorism efforts and regional stability. Russia is seen as filling the vacuum, deepening security ties and benefiting from the region's mineral resources.

Takeaways

• 🇩🇪 Germany's armed forces are withdrawing from Niger due to the breakdown of negotiations.
• 🔄 Niger was a strategic base for Western nations combating terrorism in the Sahel region.
• 👮‍♂️ Approximately 100 German troops were stationed in Niger to train local forces.
• 🤝 Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Niger in 2022 to discuss progress and cooperation.
• 🏢 The coup in Niger in 2023 led to a shift in the country's alliances, affecting Western operations.
• 📉 The German military's mission in Niger was primarily logistical support and training.
• ⏳ The contract allowing German troops to operate in Niger expired, and renegotiation is not feasible.
• 🤷‍♂️ The West's presence in West Africa is diminishing, with implications for regional stability.
• 🔄 The power vacuum left by Western withdrawal is being filled by Russia, which is deepening ties with the region.
• 💔 The withdrawal indicates a failure of Germany's Sahel policy to achieve its objectives of stability and counter-terrorism.

Q & A

Why are Germany's armed forces withdrawing from Niger?

Germany's armed forces are withdrawing due to the breakdown of negotiations and a military coup in Niger in 2023, which has led to a shift in the country's alliances towards non-Western countries, particularly Russia.

What was the primary mission of the German military in Niger?

The primary mission was to provide logistic support for operations in neighboring Mali, especially for the United Nations MINUSMA stabilization mission. Later, it served as an evacuation pathway for Western troops and had some cooperation and training roles in Niger itself.

Why did the cooperation between Germany and Niger fall apart?

The cooperation fell apart due to the military coup in Niger in 2023, which led to a significant change in the country's political landscape and a shift towards non-Western allies, making it difficult for Western countries to operate there.

How has the military coup in Niger affected Western presence in the region?

The coup has led to the withdrawal or expulsion of Western forces, including the French and the United States military, from the region, leading to a vacuum that has been filled by Russia.

What are the implications of Germany's withdrawal from Niger for the Sahel region?

The withdrawal has contributed to the destabilization of the region, leading to a split among neighboring countries into groups backed by Russia and those remaining in the Western camp, potentially escalating tensions and conflicts.

How is Russia benefiting from the West's withdrawal from West Africa?

Russia is deepening security ties with countries in the region, providing security for their elites, and joining forces to fight terrorism and separatist groups. Additionally, Russia stands to benefit from the region's mineral resources as it deepens its partnerships.

What was the initial purpose of the German supply base in Niger?

The German supply base in Niger was initially set up to provide logistic support for German operations in neighboring Mali, particularly in support of the United Nations MINUSMA mission.

What has been the impact of the coup in Niger on the country's relations with Western countries?

The coup has led to a deterioration of relations with Western countries, as Niger's military government has looked towards non-Western allies, particularly Russia, for support, making it difficult for Western countries to maintain their presence and influence.

What role did Chancellor Olaf Schultz play in Germany's engagement with Niger?

Chancellor Olaf Schultz traveled to Niger in 2022 to monitor progress and hold talks with the president, indicating a period of active engagement between Germany and Niger before the coup and subsequent withdrawal.

How has the situation in Niger affected Germany's Sahel policy?

The situation in Niger has raised questions about the effectiveness of Germany's Sahel policy, as the limited military presence has not yielded significant benefits on the ground, and there has been a shift towards Russia and instability in the region.

What will be the ongoing German contributions to the region despite the military withdrawal?

Despite the military withdrawal, Germany will continue to provide development assistance, medical support, and legal training, which are part of the long-term efforts to build better relationships across the region.

Outlines

00:00

🏆 Germany's Military Withdrawal from Niger

Germany's armed forces are withdrawing from Niger due to the breakdown of negotiations and a military coup in 2023. Niger, located in West Africa, was a strategic base for Western nations combating terrorism in the Sahel region. Approximately 100 German troops were stationed there, with a mission to train Nigerien forces. Chancellor Olaf Schultz visited Niger in 2022 to oversee progress and engage in talks with the president. However, the coup led to a shift in the political landscape, making it difficult for Western countries to operate in Niger. The military government has turned towards non-Western allies, particularly Russia, for support. This withdrawal is part of a broader trend of the West losing influence in West Africa and the Sahel, leading to a vacuum being filled by Russia, which is deepening its security ties with the region.

05:02

🌍 West Africa's Geopolitical Shift and Russia's Influence

The withdrawal of Western forces from Niger is symptomatic of a larger geopolitical shift in West Africa, where the West is losing ground. The coups in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have destabilized the region, leading to the departure of Western forces and the subsequent filling of the vacuum by Russia. This has resulted in a souring of diplomatic relations between neighboring countries, with some aligning with Russia and others remaining in the Western camp. The situation has led to the formation of new alliances, such as the body Echas, where Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have left to form their own group. The threat of military intervention by ECOWAS into Niger has also been discussed. Russia is seen as benefiting from this shift, not only in terms of security ties but also economically, with the region being rich in mineral resources such as gold.

Keywords

💡Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr refers to the Federal Armed Forces of Germany. In the context of the video, the Bundeswehr had been operating a military base in Niger to provide logistical support and train local forces as part of broader international efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel region. The withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from Niger signifies a significant shift in Germany's military engagement in West Africa.

💡Niger

Niger, officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. It is the site of a former German military base, which was crucial for Western efforts to contain terrorism in the Sahel. The script mentions Niger's coup and the subsequent change in political dynamics that led to the withdrawal of German troops.

💡Sahel

The Sahel is a semi-arid region in Africa that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, south of the Sahara Desert. It is known for its vulnerability to terrorism and has been a focal point for international counter-terrorism efforts. The video discusses the impact of Germany's military withdrawal on the stability of the region.

💡Olaf Scholz

Olaf Scholz is the Chancellor of Germany, serving as the head of the federal government since 2021. He is mentioned in the script in relation to his visit to Niger in 2022 to monitor the progress of the German military mission and hold talks with the Nigerien president. His role is central to the decision-making process regarding Germany's military presence in Niger.

💡Military Coup

A military coup refers to the sudden and forceful seizure of a government by a group of military personnel. In the script, the coup in Niger is highlighted as a pivotal event that disrupted the cooperation between Niger and Germany, leading to the withdrawal of German troops.

💡Counter-terrorism

Counter-terrorism involves various efforts to prevent and respond to terrorist activities. The video discusses Germany's role in counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel, particularly through the establishment of a military base in Niger to train local forces and provide logistical support.

💡Logistic Support

Logistic support in a military context refers to the provision of supplies, transportation, and other services necessary for military operations. The German military base in Niger was initially established to provide logistic support for operations in neighboring Mali, particularly in the context of the United Nations peacekeeping mission MINUSMA.

💡United Nations MINUSMA

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is a peacekeeping mission established to support political processes and carry out security tasks in Mali. The German military's involvement in Niger was partly to support this mission, as mentioned in the script.

💡Evacuation Pathway

An evacuation pathway refers to a route or process by which people are safely removed from a dangerous area. After the end of the German role in MINUSMA, the base in Niger served as an evacuation pathway for Western troops leaving Mali, as highlighted in the script.

💡Nonwestern Allies

Nonwestern allies in the script refer to countries outside of Western Europe and North America that are providing support to Niger's military government, particularly Russia. The shift in alliances has implications for Western countries' ability to operate in the region.

Highlights

Germany's armed forces are withdrawing from Niger due to the breakdown of negotiations with the ruling junta.

Niger was a key base for Western Nations in efforts to contain terrorism in the Sahel region.

Approximately 100 German troops were stationed in Niger to train local forces.

Chancellor Olaf Schultz visited Niger in 2022 to monitor progress and hold talks with the president.

Cooperation with Niger fell apart after the country's army seized control in a coup in 2023.

The Bundeswehr's mission in Niger began in 2016 to provide logistic support for operations in Mali.

The German base in Niger was used as an evacuation pathway for Western troops out of Mali.

The agreement allowing German troops to operate in Niger expires at the end of August.

The military coup in Niger in 2023 led to a significant change in the country's relations with Western countries.

The military government in Niger is now looking towards non-Western allies, particularly Russia, for support.

The withdrawal of Western forces from Niger is part of a wider trend of the West losing ground in West Africa.

The coups in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have destabilized the region and led to a realignment of alliances.

Russia is deepening security ties with countries in the region, providing security for the junta elites.

The Sahel region is an epicenter of global terrorism, with groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda operating there.

Russia is benefiting from the vacuum left by Western countries, as it deepens partnerships in the region.

Germany's Sahel policy may be seen as failing, with Islamist insurgencies continuing and a swing towards Russia.

Germany will continue development assistance and limited technical support in the region.

Transcripts

Germany's armed forces are withdrawing

their troops fully from ner negotiations

with the ruling hun broke down earlier

this year ner which is in West Africa

was a key base for Western Nations

trying to contain terrorism in the Sahel

around 100 German troops had been

stationed there and established a

mission to train nerian forces

Chancellor Olaf Schultz traveled to ner

in 2022 to monitor progress and to hold

talks with the president but the

cooperation fell apart when nier's Army

seized control in a coup last

year well more now from DW's political

correspondent Simon young here in Berlin

and from DW's correspondent Christine

mundwa who joins me from losos good to

see both of you Simon let me start with

you why was the bundes fa the German

military in ner I mean what was their

most important

Mission yeah this uh bunes Fair Mission

has been through a number of phases but

it began in 2016 when the Germans set up

a supply base uh in ner which was really

there to uh provide logistic support for

their their operations in neighboring

Mali in particular the German role as

part of the United Nations minusma

stabilization Mission uh for Marley but

uh that came to an end in 2023 since

then uh this uh base was really uh used

as a sort of evacuation pathway uh for

uh for Western troops out of uh Mali uh

they have also uh had some sort of

cooperation and training role as well in

ner itself but that was essentially what

they were doing there and Simon why did

the bundes fair why do they have to

leave the country so

quickly yeah the specific reason is that

uh there there was the the contract the

agreement that could that uh determines

the conditions under which German troops

can operate in ner uh uh runs out at the

end of August and they say there's no

time to negotiate a new one but really

all this is to do with what you already

mentioned the military coup in nir in

2023 since then uh things have uh very

significantly changed uh in particular

uh the uh that military government is

looking much more toward towards uh

nonwestern allies in particular Russia

for its support it's become much more

difficult uh for Western countries to

operate there the French have left the

United States military is also pulled

back recently so the whole Foundation of

Germany's role in this year has really

changed Christine gery's withdrawal from

ner is part of a a wider story of the

West losing ground in West Africa and

the Sahel what are the implications of

this in the

region well Brenton's had a a

destabilizing effect uh in the sense

that where we've had these CS in in ner

in Marley and Bina Faso what has

followed is uh the West uh being kicked

out or pulling back um and then the

Russians that vacuum and what that's

done is sour diplomatic relations

between neighbors who are now

essentially camped into groups of those

who are backed by Russia and those that

uh remain firmly in in the western Camp

uh for example here in the region there

is the body echas uh where the three

countries in question Mali bukina fasu

and ner have left and formed their own

Alliance uh so we have a situation now

where countries that were neighbors uh

are essentially almost becoming enemies

remember was the threat of uh military

intervention by EAS into ner as a result

of that coup last year yeah I remember

that and Christine let's talk about

Russia it appears to be benefiting from

the withdrawal of Western countries as

Simon was mentioning um how is Russia

filling the vacuum that the West is

leaving well we're seeing Russia um

deepen security security ties uh with

these countries in question in the

region and we know that Russia is

providing the security for the jenta

elites uh in these countries uh this the

sahal West Africa happens to really be

the epicenter if I can call it that of

of global terrorism you have various

groups linked to Isis and and Al-Qaeda

operating in these countries the

Russians have joined forces with the

junter in these respective countries to

fight these groups as well as separatist

groups there's also something in it for

Russia Brent in the sense that this is a

region that is got vast deposits of of

mineral resources I'm talking gold uh

and other um resources that of course

Russia will then be benefiting from as

it uh deepens its Partnerships and

alliances with these countries in the

realm of security in in Simon I'll just

pick up on what Christine said there has

Germany's Sahel policy has it

failed well Brent I think you certainly

could argue that in the sense that you

know the in particular the limited

German military presence in countries

like Mali and ner was often perceived as

bringing real little real benefit uh on

the ground there uh islamist

insurgencies continue we've got this

swing towards Russia uh instability

remains and the buddhis spent much of

its time sort of protecting itself

rather than helping local people on the

other hand U development assist

assistance will continue and also

limited sort of technical things like

medical uh support and legal training

assistance and so on those things will

go on and I think those twoo are part of

the uh slow work of building better

relationships across the region suon

young in Berlin and Christine wunda in

Lagos to both of you thank you