By Suelieman Umaru
For years, the 54-member African Union, AU, and the 15-member countries of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Leaders, have continuously been manipulated by France, the United Kingdom, UK, and the North American country of the United States, US, for their own economic interests.
The manipulation is more pronounced in the French speaking countries. This is because the former Francophone political leaders, had signed an economic pact with France which allows the colonists to mine and export the countries’ gold, uranium, lithium, and other mineral resources, protected by soldiers deployed at French military bases established across the 14 , former French colonies in the West and Central African sub-regions.
Kwame Nkrumah, may have alluded to the sorry state of governance in the Francophone countries when he published Neo-Colonialism, The Last Stage Of Imperialism, in 1965. The Ghanaian former President may have played into the hands of the West that had the book to expose how the colonists had exploited African countries mineral resources . The French and the US governments, had labelled him and other visionary African Leaders in the ’60s and ’70s, as traitors and targeted them for elimination.
The assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first elected Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo ,DRC, now Zaire, Murtala Mohammed, a former Nigerian Head of State, President Samora Machel of Mazambique, Capt. Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso, and Col. Mummar Quadafi of Libya, speaks volume.
The f assassination of the five visionary African Leaders were said to have occurred between 1961 and 2011 because of their close ties with Russia, thus drawing the hand of the clock back in the African Continent. Many had expected that after the assassination of Col. Quadafi of Libya, in 2011, the Western Leaders would give the African countries Leaders a breather but the revere was the case.
Nicolas Sarkozy, a one-time President of France, may have provided the final motivation for Capt. Sankara, a -one-time former President of the Sahel country of Burkina Faso and Capt. Ibrahim Traore, the incumbent interim President of the Sahel country , to rethink their relationship with France and to initiate a revolution , which is gradually shaking the whole world.
The former French president had said that the gold, uranium, and other resources found in the Sahel region belonged to France, implying that the Sahel countries do not own their own any mineral resources, let alone gold or uranium.This may have informed why the IMF, had seen Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, as very poor country that need western Financial aid, including food aid to survive.
But the Burkinabe Leader, Capt. Traore, would not take it. ”Burkina Faso and indeed, the entire African Continent is not poor but Europe ”, he had said.
Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Donald Trump of the US may have realized that the West was in serious trouble because of the assertiveness of Generals Abdulrahmane Tchiani and Assimi Goita of Niger Mali, respectively, who had followed the Burkina Faso’s Leader’s footsteps by nationalizing their countries’ gold, uranium, lithium, diamond, and other mineral resources , that they have vowed to invade and arrest Capt. Traore to stop the Sahel region countries revolution for the french gold miners to return to the region..The duo , had advised the African Leaders to cut ties with Russia , to benefit from its aid.
The Swedish Ambassador to Mali ,Kristina Kuhnel, may have given an insight to the thinking of the Western nation’s Leaders when he threatened that Sweden will” withdraw its aid to Mali”, if it continues to accommodate Russian military personnel and Weapons in place of French soldiers and hard wares.
The Swedish Ambassador may have bargained more than what he can chew, as the Malian Authorities had responded to her threat. The Malian Authorities were said to have made the Swedish envoy to understand that rather severe ties with Russia, it would be with Sweden. She was given 72 hours to leave from Bamako, the country’s Capital , over his hostile remarks.He has no option but to comply with the Presidential directive.
Initially, President Macron, who had described the Sahel countries’ revolution, championed by Captain Traore, as “a huge joke of the century,” optimistic that it would collapse like a house of cards. Determined to ensure its failure, France seems to have infiltrated the ranks of some French-speaking countries like Côte de’Ivoire,Togo, Benin, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, the DRC, and Cameroon, which have access to the Atlantic ocean and advised them not to allow the land landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali , use their port facilities for their transit their cargoes, to weaken their economies and force the people on the knees to beg for western aid .
It was not surprising why some of these Francophone countries had closed their port facilities to these landlocked Sahel region countries transit cargoes aiming to ensure that these Sahel countries junta leaders reverse their decision to kick out the French military and mining companies from their countries .
The North African country of Moroco, appears to filled the vaccum , left behind by Benin and other Burkina Faso neighbouring countries with access to the Atlantic by allowing it and the other two land locked countries , Niger and Mali, use its port facilities for its transit cargoes, meaning that France efforts at sabotaging the Sahel region countries economy had failed.
While the Sahel countries are rebuilding their economy from scratch , the French authorities appears to have begun feeling the impact, of the economic revolution in these Sahel countries as reports has it that what thejunta Leaders Traore, Tchiani, and Goita had achieved within three years in office in their respective countries is mind boggling giving the French Authorities a cause to worry.
The trio, of Capt. Traore, Gen. Tchiani, and Gen. Goita, may have sent a message to the French Authorities that the Sahel countries can survive without the colonists , which had exploited their mineral resources for decades with no visible development in their respective countries.
Captain Traore seems to have drawn inspiration from the late Libyan president , Col. Quadafi, in industrializing and revolutionizing Burkina Faso’s agricultural sector. The prisoners at the Bapro Center had used to cultivate the farms to help the country become food self-sufficient in food production and less reliant on Western food aid.
According to informed sources, the Burkinabe interim president had engaged the services of the “open-air prison” inmates in Commercial farming to give them a second chance. The prisoners were said to have been trained in agricultural and livestock trades to facilitate reintegration into the society. The once-abandoned Bapro Center, originally established by President Thomas Sankara in 1986 has become a beehive of activities.
Many believe Traore had revitalized the center due to warnings from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), officials that life-saving food and nutrition assistance to the Sahel and Nigeria, could halt in 2025 as the US withdraws funding. The WFP noted that at least US$620 million would be required for it to continue its support Sahel region and other African countries. But Capt. Traore, anticipating the crisis, ahed, had acted swiftly to revive the Bapro facility, making the inmates to become productive and contribute to to nation rebuilding.
The government’s decision to rehabilitate the prisoners analysts had said reflects the administration’s good intentions. Between 2023 and 2024, dozens of tons of fruit and vegetables grown by inmates were sold across Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali.
The Army Captain may have called the bluff of the West as he had declared free education in Burkina Faso from primary to university level, an announcement that had shocked France and the US. Reports indicate that Presidents Macron and Trump, have resorted to Plan B: plot ting to invade Burkina Fso and arrest Traore to halt the Sahel revolution.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia, has vowed not sit by and watch history repeat itself in the African Continent where visionary African Leaders are killed by the West in order to continue the exploitation of’ gold, uranium, lithium and other mineral resources in the Continent. He has kept to his words.
The Russian President may have been encouraged to support the African countries because of the boldness which Capt. Traore of Burkina Faso, had exhibited over the last three years in dealing decisively with France and, nationalized its gold mines . It was not surprising why France, US, sees him now as an enemy .
Globally, observers view these developments in Burkina Faso and other Sahel region countries as a potential trigger for World War III. This is because the West are determined to fight back to reclaim the Sahel region from Russia.
The replacement of Gen. Michael Langley, Commander of US, Africa High Command, AFRICOM, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, who had held the position since 2022, with Lt.Gen.Dagvin R.M. Anderson, currently the Director of the US, joint force development on the joint staff, bears eloquent testimony to US, plan, to join forces with France to bring the Sahel region under firm control of the west because of its rich mineral resources.
The US, President , who had not seen anything good in Capt. Traore of Burkina Faso, because of his disposition as a revolutionary may have informed why he has nominated Lt.General Anderson, as a replacement for Gen. Langley who had occupied the position since 2022 , to sustain the tempo of reclaiming the Sahel region at all costs.
, President Trump, may have nominated Anderson to strengthen AFRICOM, because of his previous roles which include Commanding Special Operations Command in Africa. in order to play its usual role in Africa: manipulate the A ECOWAS, and other regional economic blocs.
The Army. General was said to have also led the task force responsible for repositioning the US, forces deployed in Somalia, one of the sen African nations that had been put on the travel ban list by Trump on security grounds .The other African countries on the the US, President travel ban list includes Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC and Sudan.
Note that France, the US, and other Western powers, including the UK, had formed, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, ,NATO, a joint military force in 1945, after WWII, to attack any country or remove any Leader, particular, in those from the third world that might want to raise their head up to challenge the West Authorities.
Aware that the French mining companies may not go back to Burkina Faso, Niger or Mali, , that make up the Sahel region to continue mine gold,to boost the country’s gold reserves , uranium , Lithium and other vital mineral resources may have informed why the ”the young turks” as the Junta , leaders in the Sahel countries, are called due to the presence of Russian military personnel in the region may have given France and NATO ,member countries had thrown their weight behind Ukraine, which is at war with in Russia , to force the Eastern European country to withdraw from supporting the Sahel countries.
In May, Ukraine’s SBU Security Service reportedly smuggled truckloads of German-manufactured drones into Russia, and claimed to have destroyed 47 nuclear bombers under “Operation Spiderweb,” a mission planned over the last 18 months .
But the the Russian government had come out to dispute the claims. It hadconfirmed that the Ukrainian drones smuggled into the country actually destroyed 12 nuclear bombers but 41, as claimed by Ukraine in the propaganda . The Russian government had said that seven of the nuclear bom carrier war head could still be repaired. This attack on Russia military facility in its territory by Ukraine signals to the West to brace up for broader conflict.
Russia’s President Putin, who is under pressure, to give order for the country to respond to the Ukrainian attack is still giving it a second thought because of its implications of leveling Ukraine.
That much was conformed by President Trump, who was said to have discussed with his Russian on phone to end the war. The US,President may have related Putin’s message to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Leader ,who is no longer interested in continuing the war that he should be read for Russia retaliatory attack which would be very disastrous.
This may have encouraged the Ukrainian President to seek immediate ceasefire to escape the Russian planed attack. He may have come to the realization that Russia’s retaliation to the attack on its military facilities in its territory last May may take many lives as the country may not stand it. True to Putin’s vow to respond to Ukraine’s attack on Russian territory, Russian had launched over 400 drones in western Ukraine on June, 5 and Friday, June 2025, as the Ukrainian military has no answer to it , putting Kyiv, the country’s Capital in darkness , as President Zlenskyy, who had allowed himself to be be confused by France, Germany, UK and US, all NATO, member countries to go to war with Russia , may appears to have have dumped him.
The fear of many was that Ukraine , may be leveled if the Russia intensify the attack on Kyiv, and its environs in the next two days as the Ukrainian Leader has touched the tiger’s tail and now seeking for a cease fire.
