“Niger’s recent coup threatens West Africa’s stability and American and French interests in Africa, while advancing Chinese opportunities,” Baird said in an article in the Daily Caller.
“Africans will suffer and Moslem extremists will continue to gain ground.”
American and French governments have not learned from recent developments in Africa, Baird said. Because of this, they risked forfeiting influence to China and Russia, suffering the loss of access to strategic minerals, such as the more than 7% of the world’s uranium in Niger, together with geographic, security and trade disadvantages.
“The coup should be a wake-up call.
“America and France need to recalibrate their approach and involvement in Africa so that they do not increasingly forfeit influence and lose access to strategic minerals, security, and trade,” Baird wrote.
