Perceived Complacency of western powers over insecurity in the sahel region has made many countries in the region to change switch partners from West to Russia. Thus, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali engaged the services of Russian group in fight against insurgency. Mali and Burkina Faso west further to sack the French forces assisting them.
Now with the coup in Nigeria’s next door neighbor Niger over same insecurity, it’s obvious Russia is about to have a presence there.
Unlike Mali, Burkina Faso etc US already has two airforce bases in Niger which house it’s Africom. To further highlight importance of Niger to them, US has made frantic diplomatic efforts to restore the deposed president to power.
The Niger junta is set embrace Russia and Russia will likely ask them to sack US airforce from the country. The US may likely leave in humiliation or see it as one loss too many. Depending on what they decide, Niger might soon be a theatre of a force proxy war.
Can Nigeria handle such a war at it’s doorstep with heavy arms flow? The war in far away Libya was the reason terrorists in the north grew strong with arms to challenge the government. Also the civil war in Cameroon is one of the reasons ESN is standing strong. ( Don’t ask me how)
Can Nigeria survive two superpower fight at its border which may likely make them pick sides in Nigeria’s own crisis such as Biafran seperatism?
By a concerned Nigerian
