Nigers interim president has claimed that France is backing armed groups in the Sahel through covert networks

Niger's interim president, Abdourahamane Tchiani, has accused Western powers, particularly France, of fueling terrorist violence in the African country in an attempt to impose a "new model of governance" against the will of the Nigerien people.

In an interview with state broadcaster RTN over the weekend, General Tchiani claimed that "several plots" have been launched against Niger from neighboring countries, including Nigeria and Benin, with the backing of Western governments expelled after the July 2023 military takeover.

He said Western-backed operatives have held meetings in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin to coordinate efforts, including smuggling weapons to terrorist groups.

"France has used several means to destabilize us... France has also infiltrated all the movements that were initially called independentist movements, then, the jihadist movement, and finally, terrorist movements," he stated.

He said Paris has established "French cells" in the region, one led by Jean-Marie Bockel, President Emmanuel Macron's personal envoy for Africa, tasked with countering "Sahelian influence."

According to Tchiani, the so-called "Sahel cell of the Elysee" is mobilizing the French secret service (DGSE), diplomats, and the Francophonie agency, backed by "unlimited funds," to carry out all "subversive operations" aimed at destabilizing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

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"This Sahel cell will also have a mission to do everything by all means to demonize the relations between the states of the [AES] and the Federation of Russia," he added.

The Nigerien leader made similaraccusationsin December, alleging that France was funding militants operating in Nigeria's Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi states, as well as in Benin, to undermine Niger's sovereignty. He accused former Nigerian intelligence chief Ahmed Abubakar Rufai of supporting the groups with training and equipment.

In January, Nigerien Interior Minister Mohamed Toumba alsoaccusedFrance of using "Trojan horses" to weaken the military government in Niamey. Toumba warned of subversive tactics and claimed French military cooperation had left the country in "desolation."

The accusations come amid heightened regional tensions and a wave of anti-French sentiment across the Sahel, which has been devastated by more than a decade of deadly jihadist insurgency. Niger, along with its AES allies - Mali and Burkina Faso - has cut ties with Paris and expelled French troops, accusing the former colonial power of prolonging instability under the pretense of counterterrorism.

On Saturday, Tchiani claimed that Nigeria is providing logistical support to French troops expelled from Niger. Abuja has previously denied the allegations.

Russia, which Niamey, Bamako, and Ouagadougou have turned to for security cooperation in recent months, has echoed similar claims that certain Western states are attempting to undermine the troubled Sahel region. Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry official Tatyana DovgalenkoaccusedUkraine of funneling Western-supplied weapons to militants operating across Africa and training terrorist networks in the Sahel as part of "systematic efforts to destabilize the continent."

(RT.com)