Niger cuts Russian ties, faces security woes with patrols
Niger has ended its intelligence cooperation with Russia and Turkey: even Africa doesn't want Russian equipment.
Niger, under the military regime that emerged and remains largely thanks to Russian support, has unexpectedly ended its intelligence cooperation with Russia and Turkey. According to the Military Africa website, this decision, made under pressure, highlights significant security issues and internal divisions within the country.
Despite severing intelligence ties with Russia, Niger's security strategy is still connected to Moscow. Recently, Niger joined Mali and Burkina Faso in an agreement with the Russian space agency Roscosmos to purchase satellite services for telecommunications and surveillance. The aim is to bolster national security and monitor the borders of the three countries. Besides China, the junta has few other alternatives in the region.
This dual approach indicates a broader, complex strategy in which the junta balances internal challenges with its commitments to the Sahel States Alliance. This pact, created in 2023 by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, seeks to deepen military cooperation among these internationally isolated states.
Equipment problems, including from Russia
The main reason for breaking the agreements was the unsatisfactory quality of equipment and technicians provided by Russia and Turkey, particularly in the interception of telephone conversations. In response to these deficiencies, Niger turned to a Moroccan company specializing in digital intelligence.
However, it was discovered that the Moroccan company had a French subcontractor, which is unacceptable for Niger due to its relations with Paris. Consequently, the military junta ordered the immediate dismantling of the new system, leaving Niger without solid intelligence frameworks.
Temporary security measures
Effective surveillance of the population is essential for any authoritarian regime, without which it won't last long. For this reason, the Niger military junta is trying to compensate for equipment shortages with the Presidential Guard. They have initiated discreet night patrols in key parts of the capital, Niamey.
Officers in civilian clothes, traveling on foot and on motorcycles, monitor important locations such as the roundabout near the hospital, the Ministry of Justice, the Yantala district, the Congress Palace, and the embassy zone from the north until 6:00 AM Eastern Time.
These patrols are seen as a temporary solution, highlighting the weakened internal security of Niger under the rule of the military junta, known as the CNSP. Additionally, reports are emerging of growing opposition within parts of the military to the Niamey government, threatening the regime's stability.
