By Our Reporter
When the French Government adopted the principle of Assimilation in its colonial policy in Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, and other African countries including Coted’Ivoire, Togo and Chad, in, ‘’exchange for French citizenship and rights’’, unknown to the people, it was the beginning of of Neo-colonialist rule.
The Neo-colonist rule colonial had given several Multinational mining companies from France and other European countries like Netherland and Germany, including Canada and Australia the audacity , to exploit the vast mineral resources in these countries, like gold, diamond and uranium in the Sahel region, comprising of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali for these foreign countries renewable energy production and infrastructural development while the African countries suffer the dire consequences.
Take for instance, a country like Burkina Faso had the capacity to produce 70,000 metric tons of god annually. In spite of the Jihadist attacks in the region , the country managed to exploit 53,000 metric tons in 2024, alone.
Given that the Sahel region, is rich in mineral resources, including gold, uranium,copper, oil and gas, may have encouraged several French companies which play significant role in mining activities in France, including Eramet and Imery’, to establish their presence in mining of gold, uranium, and other mineral deposits in the region.
There is no gain saying that the French Government had adopted discriminatory policies in the development of the assimilated African countries as it was said to have paid much attention in upgrading the facilities in Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Senegal to suit their interests and the puppet Leaders, but completely neglected the Sahel region including Guinea, among other.
The situation was so bad that the political Leaders from these French speaking countries, particular, those from the Sahel region, who had become pawns in the hands of the French Government, who felt more at home in Paris and other major cities in France no longer pay much attention to the development of their own countries’ infrastructural facilities.
Aware of the implications of the continued exploitation of the mineral resources in the Sahel region, and what may result in the future may have informed the rising wave of terrorisms and banditry in the region which was said to have had spillover effect spillover effect in the north eastern states of Borno, Yobe and the north central states of Kaduna, home of the northern elites, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi, causing mayhem. The people of the Sahel region may have ben put in dark not to know what is happening in the region but this could not be of their Leaders who are happy dining with the France top government officials.
The rise of Ibrahim Traore, an Army Captain into political prominence in Burkina Faso some two years ago and two other junta Leaders from Niger and Mali appears to have opened sent a signal to France and other Eu, countries that the game is up.
In tackling the exploitative tendencies of France, in the Sahel region, the Leadership of the three Sahel region , countries, Capt. Traore, and Generals Abdulrahamane Tchiani, of Niger and Assimi Goita, who had taken the bold initiative to withdraw from the Economic Comic of West African States , ECOWAS, economic bloc, to form the Alliance of Sahel States, AES, were said to have made it clear to the France Authorities that what the people need is true autonomy and sovereignty which France was not ready to guarantee the countries but to continue exploitation of their mineral resources.
Several Multi-national Companies , like Canada’s IAMGOLD, popular Essakane mine, Orezone Gold or Bombore mine, Fotuna Silver , Yaramoko mine complex and Australia’s West African Resources which operates Sanbrado mine were the active players in gold mining in Burkina Faso. The country has the vast mineral resource but there was nothing to show for it in the country.
It was not surprising why the leadership of the Sahel region countries who could no longer take it from France, Canada, Australia and and other European countries industrial miners had kicked out the Multinational miners to give room to the artisan miners who hide under the foreign mining companies to thrive. The engagement of Russia’s Norgold to operate the Bissa -Bouly complex and new new Kourweogo bear eloquent testimony Burkina’s military junta moves to move away from traditional western allies like France, Germany, Netherland, Canada, and Australia toward Russia, to mine the country’s gold , diamong and other mineral resources.
Between 2022 and now, the country was said to have increased focus on state control of its mineral resources and revision of mining code forcing many multi-national mining companies of Burkina Faso.
Capt. Traore,the 37 year old interim President of Burkina Faso was said to have taken a bold decision to nationalize several gold gold mines , including the Boungou and Wahgnion gold mines , previously operated by by Endeavour mining and later acquired by Lilum mining at a total cost of the North American country of the United States , US, $80 million. There are indications the state owned mining company , SOPAMIB, has taken control of the United Kingdom , UK, based companies operated Boungou and Wahgnion mines..
The junta Leader of Niger Republic, Gen. Abdurahmane Tchiani and his Counterpart in Mali, Gen. Assimi Goita, were said to have followed the foot steps of Capt. Traore to nationalize the gold and Uranium mines in their own countries and look toward Russia.
Determined to severe relationship with France, the Sahel region countries Junta Leaders who had formed the AES, to collaborate in the defense of the region and who had repeatedly blamed France for the region’s backwardness had withdrawn from the Organization Internationale de la Francophone, OIF, in order not to have anything to do with France.
The French Authorities and the Leadership of the European Union, EU, were said to have made frantic efforts to reach out to Capt. Traore, described as the arrow head of the Sahel region countries revolution, 20225, like the Arab spring of 2010, offering to give the country security back-up but were shut out. It was a bad case.
The AES countries junta Leaders, were said to have stood their ground of quitting OIF. Despite alleged blackmail of Capt. Traore, the Burkina Faso military Leader by Gen. Langley, Commander of the North American country of the United States, US, Africa Command, AFRICOM, headquartered in in Stuttgart, Germany, believed to be working closely with President Alassane Quattara, of Cote de’Ivoire, may have thrown the EU, into a situation of had I known we would have the AES countries fairly and give them a sense of belonging instead of describing as being poor. The worry of France and EU, Authorities, for now was that denying multi-national companies from the Continent from mining gold, Uranium, copper, from the Sahel region countries would pile pressure on their economies and may result in loss of jobs and unsold manufactured goods including vehicles.
News making the rounds around the world was that France had started feeling the negative effects of the AES countries withdrawal from OIF and ECOWAS, the regional economic bloc which the Junta Leaders from the AES countries had accused of being manipulated by the Western Powers to achieve their economic agenda.
There is no gain saying the fact that the AES countries withdrawal from the OIF, and ECOWAS, particular, which had been described as a significant shift in regional dynamics had whittled down the influence of France in the region and the wider African Regional Integration process, paving way for the Russian Federation, Asian countries of China and North Korea to fill the vacuum left by France and other EU, countries.
Unconfirmed report reveals that Presidents Mahamat Deby Itno, of Chad and Mamady Dombouya, of Guinea, who are sympathetic to the cause of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, are making moves to severe their relationship with OIF and close all France military bases in their respective countries.
The two West African countries’ Leaders, were said to have expressed their interest in strengthening ties with the AES and potentially joining the Union, which suggests a move away from traditional relationships like France and ‘’a desire for greater autonomy and sovereignty’’.
President Emmanuel Macron, of France, may have worsened matter in his recent statements that ‘’no Sahelian nation would be a sovereign nation without France’s intervention which had prevented the countries from falling under the control of the jihadists operating in the region.
The French President would want the AES countries ‘’to be grateful to France over its role in helping the countries to fight the Jihadists resurgence in the region’’, amid the continuing withdrawal of French troops from the three Sahel countries as other French speaking countries like Chad and Senegal, were said to have expressed their worries.
President Macron, who was said to have made the provocative statement at an annual Ambassadors’ conference in Paris, the countries Capital had said that the AES countries withdrawal from OIF, would give France the audacity in reorganising its strategic interests in the region but frowned at the idea that the idea the country was forced to withdraw from Africa was the handwork of mischief makers.
Ousmane Sonko, Senegalese Prime minister, who was said to have taken a strong exception to President Macron’s remarks on the AES countries, would not agree that France had done anything in spectacular in preventing the jihadists operating around the Sahel countries from taken over the region, noting that France had over the years had contributed to’’ destabilizing several African countries including Libya, which was said to have serious consequences for the Sahel region, particular and the neighbouring countries to it.
He may have indicted France when he stated that the country neither has ‘’the capacity nor the legitimacy to secure African countries security and sovereignty’’. He is right. It would be recalled that the French troops were sent to Mali, in 2013, in response to an Islamist insurgency in the French speaking country. The inability of the French troops to clip the wings of the militants may have emboldened them to extend their operations to Burkina Faso and Niger, which are two other countries in the Sahel region. In 2009, it was the turn of Nigeria to come under the attack of the Islamic Fundamentalist Fundamentalis Group,Boko Haram, which had another splinter group, the Islamic State of West African Conference, ISWAP, in 2015, to destabilise the northe north eastern states of Borno and Yobe. The Jihadists who were said to have bowed to the superious fire of the Nigerian military in Adamawa state, home state of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, appears have staged a comeback to Adama state as the criminal elements, bearing scary weapons like the Improvised Explosive Device, IEDs, were said to have attacked Dabna village , barely three days afeter taking on Bangah, a suburb of Garaha, in Hong Local Government Area of the state, close to the Sambisa forest in Borno state, occupied and burnt houses, properties and hoisted their flag of conquest.
There are indications both not for the quick military intervention to repel the attackers, who could no longer stand the superior fire of the AES countries soldiers but have relocated from the porous north eastern state of Borno town. to support the Nigerian terrorists, in the north eastern flank, they would have overrun Garaha. The resurgence of militancy in Hong LGA, in the former VP Atitku’s home state may have forced Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom and now Nigerian Senate President, to advocate for the immediate establishment of a military base in Hong LGA, in Adamawa, to forestall future attacks on communities in the area.
