Share to networks
The work of the Anti-imperialist Solidarity Conference with the Peoples of the Sahel ended on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Center in Niamey. This conference was sanctioned by a declaration called the “Niamey Declaration” which was read by Mr. Nidol Ishola Salami, member of the Communist Party of Benin. (Read below the entire declaration which sanctioned the work of the conference on Anti-imperialist solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel).
“On November 19, participants from Africa, Asia and the Americas joined the people of Niger for the Anti-Imperialist Solidarity Conference with the People of the Sahel, which was held for three days in Niamey . This historic event, which was held at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Center in Niamey, brought together popular forces under the theme “For anti-imperialist unity, peace and friendship between peoples”. We hereby issue the following statement:
International context
The world faces a multidimensional crisis on the brink of a third world war, characterized by the aggressive and offensive actions of the imperialist powers led by the United States and its NATO allies. These powers are engaging in actions that signal their decline, including ordering massacres and genocides in Gaza and Lebanon and stoking wars in Ukraine, Western Sahara and Sudan. They incite multiple provocative actions in Southeast Asia, maintain an illegal blockade against Cuba for ten years, and impose sanctions on the Venezuelan people as part of their global tyranny.
As participants in the International Anti-Imperialist Solidarity Conference, we strongly condemn these acts, which we consider to be fodder for a possible full-scale Third World War. We hold the United States and its NATO allies responsible for these actions and demand an immediate cessation of atrocities in Gaza and Lebanon, an end to the blockade against Cuba and Venezuela, and an end to imperialist provocations in the whole world for the peace of humanity.
African context and particular emphasis on the Sahel region
On November 15, 1884, fourteen colonial powers led by German Chancellor Bismarck met in Berlin to share the African continent for their benefit. After centuries of exploiting tens of millions of African workers through slavery, these European nations physically occupied Africa to exploit its rich natural resources.
During this division, France and the United Kingdom claimed most of West Africa. France took control of large areas of the Sahel, seizing supposedly less fertile desert regions, while the United Kingdom occupied the most fertile and populated regions of Africa.
Although heroic liberation struggles were fought and significant gains were made, independence in the 1960s did not translate into true sovereignty, particularly for the French colonies. The nations of the African Economic Area remained attached to “colonial enclosures” in Africa, where all aspects of sovereignty, from currency to defense to natural resources, were controlled by France through of puppet governments constrained by a permanent military presence. Continued exploitation has made so-called French-speaking African states among the poorest in the world, Niger being a poignant example.
Recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are the result of the failure of leaders to protect their countries against French imperial aggression and the encouragement of terrorist forces. These coups also reflect widespread discontent and a call for substantial change in these countries.
Support for the people and resolute leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)
We salute the governments resulting from recent coups who have adopted patriotic measures to regain their political and economic sovereignty over their territories and natural resources. These measures include terminating neocolonial agreements, demanding the withdrawal of French, American and other foreign forces, and implementing ambitious plans for sovereign development.
We are particularly encouraged by the creation by these countries of the Alliance of Sahel States. This initiative revitalizes the legacy of Pan-African leadership and represents a concrete step towards true independence and Pan-African unity.
These governments currently enjoy broad support from their citizens, who are getting involved and mobilizing around these revolutionary actions. This unity is essential to realizing democratic and patriotic ideals and constitutes an ambitious development model for other African nations.
In conclusion, although there is still much to be done for the total liberation of the Sahel States, we are optimistic that these governments, by continuing to listen to their people, will achieve their goals of total national liberation and contribute to the broader goal of a unified and free Africa. We stand alongside the popular and revolutionary forces of the Sahel in their fight for full sovereignty. We leave Niamey with the commitment to defend the advances made by the people of the Sahel and to rally internationalist forces around the world to this objective.”
