The USA Loves West Africa

🇳🇪 It is extremely disappointing to witness the regression of democracy in Niger, but I believe it would be even more disappointing to witness a war among West African nations, especially when many West Africans are already suffering severely. I don't believe a war among West African nations is the best solution to the crisis in Niger. A special military operation could be a viable option. I believe that is exactly how the USA or Europe would solve this problem if a coup d'état occurred in the USA or Europe. It would be best for an operation like this to be carried out by pro-democracy Nigeriens or other West Africans. Perhaps ECOWAS can create a special military unit trained specifically to eradicate the problem of military coups in the region.

I am certain that a war between West African nations will make the region even more unstable, which is not our wish for the region. We don't want a West African war to bring instability to other democracies in the region such as Ghana or Nigeria. Nigeria is currently suffering from some economic hardships, and a war will likely add more stress to their economy, which is not yet as resilient as ours. I think it would be better for the USA to focus our resources on strengthening the remaining democracies in West Africa.

I think the USA can continue our counterterrorism operations in West Africa. We will not be able to work with the Nigerien military any longer, until democracy is restored, but we can continue to work with Ghana and Nigeria and other stable democracies in the region if they would still like to work with us. Perhaps it is possible for us to continue to use the bases we built in Niger. We continue to use the naval base in Cuba, despite the undemocratic government and the cut in diplomatic relations between our countries. If not, it is a huge setback for our counterterrorism activities, but it is not a huge loss for the USA.

I understand that the democratic government of Niger was helping the European Union with the migration crisis, and there are concerns that the military junta will no longer provide this assistance, and that is likely true. If the junta does not step down, we will have to cut many of our aid programs and financial support, and sanctions will be imposed on Niger. This will unfortunately add to the civilian population's suffering, compounding the migration crisis. I believe a war among West African nations will be just as devastating for the civilian population, if not more, but it will affect a much larger group of West Africans, and also make the migration crisis much more worse.

I hope we can work with ECOWAS and find a way to restore democracy in Niger. I hope ECOWAS can restore civilian rule in Mali, Burkina Faso and the other nations in West Africa that are currently under military rule. I hope ECOWAS can prevent future military coups in West Africa and the Sahel. I hope we can create a new security community with the democracies of West Africa to bring security and stability to the region and ultimately to the entire African continent. xo