Cooperação e conflito: relação entre Níger e França no contexto de segurança e neocolonialismo (1960 -2023)

Abstract

Since the formal independence of African nations in the 1960s, France has retained significant influence over its former colonies through political, economic, and military mechanisms, institutionalized under the system known as Françafrique. This neocolonial framework as theorized by Kwame Nkrumah (1965) enables European powers, particularly France, to sustain control over African states long after decolonization. Against this backdrop, this article’s overarching objective is to analyze Niger-France relations and the effects of their security cooperation agreements through the lens of Nkrumah’s neocolonial theory. Specifically, it aims to investigate the tools France employs to preserve its political, security, and economic influence in Niger, also, examine the history of Franco-Nigerien security cooperation, its defining features, and its implications for Sahelian stability and analyze how France leverages the narrative of African state fragility to legitimize interventions in the Sahel, with a focus on Niger, where neocolonialism is repackaged as cooperative engagement.