in the country and are demanding the cancellation of exploitative uranium mining agreements with french companies. the fiasco of in niger constitutes a chain of disgraceful events for france in the sahel in recent years. so does the humiliation of france in niger signal the end of french imperialism in africa? hello, i'm mubarak kenya and this is africa today. this week we are focusing on the humliation of france in niger after the disgraceful withdrawal of its troops in these west african country. you can be part of the conversation by sending us your comments through our social media handle. france humiliated in niger. the last french troops deployed in niger left the country during the last days of december. three months after french president emmanuel macron announced that he was withdrawing all troops deployed in the country. the move. followed orders of

the transitional government that came to power last july following a popular military coup. it was the third time in less than two years that french troops had been ejected from a country in the sahel. the people of need say that the day the last french troops left the country is seen as an independence day. we need the new rulers to forge trade and defense relations with countries that will treat us with. and respect, this day we consider as our day of independence to discuss the humiliation of france in niger, we have contacted abdul latif ahmed, a journalist and a researcher based in legos nigeria, thank you for your time today sir, thank you. we also have collins nke a global affairs analyst and member of the green party in belgium. thank you sir for your time today, thank you very much, mubarak for having me. "now the last french troops

deployed in niger have left the country after sustained protests by the masses who fell that french troops are part of the many problems niger faces, including terrorism. now let's start off with the ahmed in legos, now can the withdrawal of french troops be considered victory for the people of niger? absolutely, you see protest are some of the most fundamental ways of ' expressing you civic method of expressings enchantment with the system and if the people for which the security is meantful are protesting against the presence of french forces then there is a place for you know listening to the people uh already the departure of the french french forces have been received with lot of excitement amongst you know nigerian uh populist so for for for me for my of. you

know the entire situation, i think it's a big victory for niger and the french troops will have lent a couple of lessons having engaged you know in security, you countergency in the of region it is up to niger itself to develop you know a broader architecture to ensure that it is able to you know secure it borders. the french exit from niger still leaves. hundreds of us military personnel and number of italian and german troops remaining in the country. now let's bring in mr. nueke: does the us plan to take the place of france in niger or in other words can we say that uh western imperialism will continue uh being present in niger? i do not think uh the time is right to roll out the drum and begin to where you know uh dance about the street that africa has become free uh, certainly not,

because if we consider that um the us still has very very vested interest in um niger, if we consider that the us deputy secretary of state for african affairs uh was in um in in africa recently as matter of fact she attended the uh uh some of the held in abuja in nigeria after which she used the opportunity. to visit niger, if we evaluate her activities and you know her pronouncements after that meeting, where it became clear that the us is now ready or indeed have recognized the military junta, of course they provided a proviso that as long as um they are ready to to the part of um democratic order that the us would continue to to work with them. in terms of providing a

time table now, what is tells you is that the us interest there is very strong, france is also closing its emba in niger indefinitely as tensions between the two countries escalate, the decision follows the expulsion the french ambassador from the country, the masses in niger have come out strongly to support decisions taken by the transitional government to end negative french influence in the region. you can see we've emptied out our kitchens, we've come here with pants and spoons and cooking pots. we're here to say no to imperialism, we were born to colonialism. tired of living the colonizers rule, and that's why we're here. we don't want macaroni anymore or whatever his name is. i don't even care to know his name. we need another type of base here, for example, russia. may russia come here and support us, we need russia. the

presence of french diplomats in niger was no longer tenable as they were arrogant, biliderant, and refused to recognize the country's popular transitional. mr. ahmed, this for you. now, what's your opinion on the decision by france to temporary close its embassy in near may? so usually, where there is a breakdown of diplomatic relationship between country, it is understandable that embassies will close down, shut down, and you know the high commission or representative of such countries will be declared as personal. meaning they are not the you know they are responsible for their own safety in that country, they are not seen asas welcome and therefore they are expected to return to their country, so it's understandable that the embass are shut, they are closed down until and noneless both countries are able to

sit down on the negotiation table and discuss common grounds for bilateral arrangement, but as it stands now it's clear that niger stand france is uh put in stone, it is fixed, it has expressed its disenchantment with france, and france has to you know review its relationship with niger as case, it is totally understandable, thanks for that, mr. ahmad, now we take a short break before we continue our topic on how france has been humiliated in niger. france humiliated in niger, as the us israel genocidal war in gaza enters its third month and the deathdul continues to rise. israel's economy is also

paying heavy price. the labor shortage in high-tech is especially worrying since that sector accounts for nearly 20% of israel's gross domestic product (gdp). 20% of the israel. really workers are part of the reserve army and they are not functioning. in this edition of economic divide we have special guest alice rothchild author of broken promises and broken dreams and member the jewish voice for peace who says the bigger problem needs to be solved. so the root causes of this crisis are the ongoing occupation of the occupied territories and the siege of gaza.

welcome back, you're watching africa today, this week we are talking about the humiliation of france in niger. the humiliating withdrawal of french troops from niger was the third time in less than 18 months that french troops were sent parking from a country in the sahel. they left mali and burkina faso due to popular demands by the masses. the people of mali for instance celebrated in the capital bamacko after the government ordered french troops out of the country. france must. leave mali, france is here to steal the resources of mali, france is here to colonize mali, leave the country without delay, they've been here for 10 years and could not solve the problem. in our tradition, if there is a broom, it means we don't want anymore, we don't want anymore,

the broom means that, that's why we put a stop to france, now this for mr. nuke there, now will the domino effect of the ejection of french troops and mercenaries continue in other countries across africa? um, well, i do not know the extent to which uh, you know, this domino is... effect you know is going to continue in the rest of africa, but um, from what we are seeing, it looks like africans are beginning, i mean the the common man in africa, i'm not talking of uh the leaders, be it the political leaders or the military leaders, i am talking of you know the common man in africa on the streets of africa that have been hit hard by the economic realities and... are now you know against the wall, not knowing anywhere else to go, they have turned

around and are beginning to fight back. the departure of french troops in niger marked an end to more than decade of french so-called anti-terrorism operations in west africa sahil region. terrorism actually increased them the presence of french troops in the region. in fact, some citizens in the sahar region believe that france deliberately instigates insecurity to get the... pretext of maintaining its troops in the region. french troops in the region have long been seen as facilitating the looting of sahel's mineral resources, particularly uranium and gold. now this question goes to mr. ahmed in legos, now do you think regional countries will manage the security situation after the withdrawal of french troops? what is clear, what is evident is that the french intervention in the sah. failed, it has failed in terms of strategy, it has failed in terms of purpose, and it has failed in terms

of getting the desired effect, and that is why people, the citizens of this region are worried and concerned that the continued existence of french troop on their soil, we continue to worsen the security situation, you know, in the region, and that is why the departure of the french forces is a welcome development, don't forget. forget that alliance have been forged with the echous itself is looking at more diplomatic approaches to see that the peace and security in this region is sustained and maintained regardless of the cool that might have happen across the three countries while uranium from niger lights up europe these west african country has one of the lowest electrification in sub saharan africa after the coup, the authorities in niger announced that they will freeze uranium exports to france, now this

was in response to popular demands by the masses. we have uranium, we have diamonds, we have gold, we have oil, and we live like slaves, why should we until when we can't accept it? the french base in niger must leave, we don't need the french to keep us safe. civil organizations that were instrumental in pushing for the withdrawal of french. occupation forces in niger are now taking on france's economic interests. they want the mining permits for uranium extraction to be cancelled. there is mounting pressure for the eventual ejection of french companies mining uranium in niger due to their exploitative activities. what should happen and what reasonable people should uh you know uh support is a situation where the contrast the mining contrast of. those french companies are reviewed that they are made

fair such that all the goodies are not cutting the way to france but that there is level level playing field for indigenous countries but also for french uh companies as well. i believe that the space is large enough to contain both french mining companies and indigenous mining companies, however it shouldn't be as it is now where basically the french companies get away with just about anything, leaving the indigenous companies high and dry, the contracts should be renegotiated and there should be enough space for everybody to where operate, the recent formation of the alliance of sahel states bringing together mali, niger and burkina faso is further proof of the consolidation of anti-french sentiments in

the region. now mr. ahmed, you have the last word today. uh, can we say that the events in niger will mark the end of french neocolonialism in this country or is this european country uh planning a comeback through the back door? there is a chance that considering how many years of postconial and new colonial strategies. france and other western nations are deployed in the region, there is a chance that uh the will they will use other windows to assess their control over the regions. it's now up to... the junta or governments of the various countries to ensure that whatever relationship they hold with french uh is mutual, it's such that is bilateral, it's such that is you know beneficial for both sides you know so what i can read you know in all of this is that while french forces have departed you know in

terms of you know rolling of the military engagements there is a chance that you use other means other approaches to continue to hold to these countries unless and until you have government of people that are willing to you musel out plans and ideas and ideals to reset their countries on the part of of you know on the path that leads to better nationhood then french you know the the french to have strong role you know on the consents. well there you have it, african nations need to remain vigilant because even after the withdrawal of french troops from niger and other sahel states, this neocolonial power is still intent on meddling and looting the continent's natural resources.

welcome to our africa rising section that focuses on interesting events in africa from innovations, achievements in science and technology to arts and culture. now i mean the us israeli genocide on palestinians in gaza, millions of people worldwide have. come out to express solidarity with oppressed palestinians. these acts of solidarity are in different formats such as demonstrations, boycott campaigns, vigils, arts and music. an african musician from eritrea has joined the palestine solidarity campaign through his music. he's lane tadesse, the singer of palestine, says no more. we have contacted

mr. tadese to talk about his music. thanks for your time today. thank you so much, i appreciate the invitation, um, just want to say thank you, now uh, first, can you tell us what motivated you to compose this song? it's, it's a long, it's a very long story, and i being me, being that i am from that type of situation, like where i come from in eritrea, and eritrea has been through lot, so for me. to be able to connect to what's going on in the region, especially to the palestinian, people. i since the 1920s, i mean you can go on for decades and decades and the silence that's been you know taken by the international community during those

times, because there wasn't any media that was giving the opportunity to show... what was going on and for it to take place now in this day and age in 2023, it's it's mine boggling, you know, and it doesn't, for me it's like no-brainer, i have to speak up, i have to, you know, get involved in what's going on in the region, especially to the palestinian people, they are the the people that's been oppressed that's been just taken away everything, they want, it's basically they just want to... take everything away from them, their identity, so that alone, it bothers me even more than anything in this world, for someone to really try to extinct and take away your identity, your your true identity, who you are and where where you come from, and the originals, the originals

that were there, it's like history repeating itself, but in real time. now, so it's just, i mean, i, i, i, the only thing i can do is provide my art, artistry, provide my, the music and the content to really bring awareness to the rest of the world, i'm sure there's a lot of artists doing the same thing, and i applaud them, this is the time for everyone to come together and really rally behind the people of palestine, that's... one of the main thing, just me being from that region, eritrea was under occupation, under oppression, now the same things been happening like literally not too far from us, so is not far from where i come from, even though i'm here in the us, i feel the pain, i feel the agony, i feel the stress, i feel just the distrat, the chaos,

it's not fair, so we have to speak up, an interesting insight indeed, now mr. tadese, how can the language of art be utilized effectively to expose the israeli apart regime and its criminal acts? "well, i mean, as you can see right now, israeli regime is is purely naked of what they're doing, they're being exposed through social media, through through the lens of everyone's cameras, because we're in the in the age of anyone can record anything, they're they're so naked, yet they still think they are innocent, they still think they are fighting, they're using..." a pretense of fighting a terrorist group, no, that has nothing to do with the terrorist group, it has everything to do with occupation, it has everything to do with settlement, so all these things are

being exposed, so they're naked, musicians are exposing them, showing in real time what they're doing, they're not defending themselves, that is, that's not what you call defense, that's called, that's what you call genocide, yeah, ethnic cleansing, what that's what it is, we're taking, we're seeing it in real time. no doubt everyone is seeing what is happening in palestine. now, mr. tadese, our last question, what role can artists across the world play, regardless of their color or language in confronting the israeli genocidal war against palestinians? the main mission of artists across the world is basically when and you see something that i've just been talking about, this type of event, it brings people together, and when

when artists come together, the ones that are conscious, the one that the ones that are, that understand that what is taking place is something that's that they don't stand for, and music really is the weapon that can really galvan and bring people together because you're you're conveying the message, you're conveying, you're conveying the the feeling, the pain, the hurt that you feel, so you have to express it with music. people would like, it's like a soothing, pain soothing medication, music is a medication, but also could be used as a weapon to bring awareness to the world, so it's bringing a lot of musicians together, it's bringing a lot of people, people from all over the world are are really... h into this what's what's really taking place in palestine? we we're only focused on palestine. i don't even want to mention their name, the the genociders, so

they're losing, they're losing in so many different ways because of how artists, musicians are coming together. when people come together, the enemy will disappear. well, indeed, the enemy will be vanquished and the oppressed will be victorious. i like to thank client desse and musician and composer of the song palestine says no more. now that's it for this week's edition of africa today and we are signing off by inviting you to watch parts of these resistance song. never seen a mother cry till never seen a child cry. until i see his mother die, don't you see what you've done,

you've taken her only son, it's too late we know your game, you suck the blood for my vein, children will never forget, atrocities and pain i can't you hear them crying, we must fight the way to st and i said the world is with you, yes we are with you.

القدوم الى قطاع غزه لمساعده اهلكم في قطاع غزه.