A Declaration from the Communist Party of Benin: Formal warning to Patrice Talon against our country’s participation in any military intervention against Niger

FORMAL WARNING TO PATRICE TALON AGAINST OUR COUNTRY’S PARTICIPATION IN ANY MILITARY INTERVENTION AGAINST NIGER

COMMUNIST PARTY OF BENIN (PCB)

DECLARATION

On July 26, 2023, the military seized power in Niger. The following day, Thursday, July 27, Patrice Talon, who had rushed to the Nigerian President as soon as events began, was dispatched by ECOWAS and the African Union to go and meet with the Nigerian military. In a threatening tone, President Talon declared in Abuja that “what has occurred in Niger is inadmissible and all means will be used, if necessary, to restore constitutional order in Niger.”

At the same time, an unauthorized military aircraft landed at Niamey airport on Thursday night, despite the closure of air borders.

Reports are circulating on social networks that “ECOWAS is preparing a military intervention against the putschists. An ECOWAS military action would be led by the Nigerian air force and special forces.” Heads of state from the sub-region, notably Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal, would be involved in this intervention operation, mobilizing generals for this purpose under the direction of a Nigerian officer. On July 28, RFI, the voice of France, announced that, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine COLLONA, it is not yet over in Niger, and that ECOWAS will soon be meeting in Abuja to make decisions that France will support.

If we put all this information together, we can see that a military aggression is in preparation against the fraternal people of Niger, and that French imperialism is at the helm. This follows the resolutions of the last ECOWAS Summit held in Bissau and the warmongering declaration by the new President of Nigeria, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, against the coups in ECOWAS. Is it not widely reported that the proposal to create an ECOWAS Interim Security Force is nothing more than a repurposing of MINUSMA, which was driven out of Mali, to continue its aggression against the African peoples? In other words, it is an instrument of ECOWAS to enable foreign powers, notably France, to continue their aggression against the Malian people.

President Talon’s latest declaration that “all means would be used, if necessary, to restore constitutional order in Niger” seems consistent with this imperialist logic of intervention. 

The people of Benin are a peaceful people, friends of all the peoples of the sub-region, and will not tolerate their President being used as an instrument of aggression against our fraternal peoples, particularly the fraternal people of Niger, nor will they accept the transformation of their territory into a base for aggression.

The Beninese people have their own problems, which are shared by our neighbors: the criminal actions of terrorist groups who regularly kill peaceful populations in the north of the country in the presence of French troops, hunger, poverty, high living costs, etc. The Communist Party of Benin formally warns Patrice Talon against participating in any aggression against the fraternal people of Niger and other peoples of the sub-region. The African peoples and those of our sub-region are engaged in a fight to the death against the imperialist powers, and in particular against FrançAfrique. 

All those who oppose this inexorable march will be consigned to the dustbin of history.

Cotonou, July 28, 2023

The Communist Party of Benin

** FrançAfrique- a term used to describe the policy of French influence and intervention over former French and Belgian colonies in Africa.