TEHRAN - France’s colonial rule in Africa began in the 19th century. Many might think that the days of cruel exploitation, massacre, slavery and psychological abuse of African people in the hands of the French have come to an end, but the recent developments in countries like Niger show Paris still has its hand over the continent. 

The latest African country to rise up against French dominance is Niger, where the military managed to overthrow the Western-backed government of Mohamed Bazoum in July. Western governments have resorted to their usual tactic and begun a propaganda campaign against the coup which in fact seems to enjoy the support of most Nigerien people. Instead of talking about why the coup has happened and what people had been demanding from the previous government, the West has decided to reduce the event to an authoritative act and call it a threat against democracy. 

The American and European governments reacted exactly the same way when similar events happened in Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021, and 2022. The two countries, similar to Niger, finally drew a line in the sand and decided to root out French influence so that African people can determine the fate of their own nations. The people of Africa are fed up with being kept in poverty and struggling to put food on the table while France exploits their natural resources and fills its own pockets with African wealth. 

The simple fact that Africans no longer want France’s stealing is something you will never hear from Western media. To understand what’s exactly being sidestepped by the West we will be taking a look at France’s colonial past in Africa, and how it continues to exploit the continent today. 

The British and French colonized 95% of the African continent at one point. France colonized 20 nations including present day Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Niger, which are all located in West Africa. 

The tales of French colonization of West Africa are perhaps some of the most harrowing and chilling stories in the history of mankind. The French were notorious for resorting to extremely cruel and inhumane methods when things didn’t go their way. They stripped African people of their clothes, put heavy chains on them, clipped their body parts to the wall, raped their women and children and tortured them in ways unimaginable.  

We do not have to go far in history to encounter a horrifying act by the French like how they used bones of Algerian people to make soap. France has committed enough crimes in the recent past for us to fill up the entire page. 

During its one and a half centuries of direct colonialism, France has killed hundreds of thousands of African people for different reasons. For instance, on the morning of December 1, 1944, French forces committed The Thiaroye massacre. They killed hundreds of Senegalese soldiers returning home after fighting in the World War 2, once the soldiers demanded personal rights and payment. It was as if Senegalese people should have felt honored to simply fight and die for France in the war, and they were not allowed to ask for anything more. 

It is important to note that France has never paid compensation for any of the inhumane crimes it has committed. If you ask a French person today, they might laud their ancestors for bringing “modernism” to Africa and helping the people of the continent become more “humane”. As various renowned writers and historians have pointed out, this notion that non-Western people are lesser than, still prevails throughout Europe and the U.S.  

France still continues its colonialism of Africa through agreements and administrative practices. Paris loots the natural reserves of 14 African countries today; namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. France has been earning hundreds of billions of dollars each year through these “agreements”. 

To understand the Western hype about the coup in Niger, we must know that at least 20% of France’s nuclear electricity is generated by using the uranium ore it steals from the West African country.  After Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, if the rest of these 14 nations decide to get rid of French dominance, the future of France’s economy and welfare might lie in shambles. 

At the time of writing this article, Western governments are weighing the launch of an incursion into Niger to bring the government of Bazoum back. We must wait and see whether other states in West Africa would decide to function independently and finally help their own people, or would get militarily involved in Niger and allow France to continue looting Africa’s resources.