Niger has initiated an audit into how the European Union’s ambassador distributed aid for flood victims, following it accusing Salvador Pinto da Franca of non-transparency.
On 22 November, Niger claimed the EU ambassador allocated $1.36 million to international NGOs without consulting with the Nigerien government. Despite the devastating floods that have claimed over 300 lives and displaced more than 1.1 million people, Niger stated it did not request EU aid and would address the disaster’s aftermath using its resources. The EU recalled its ambassador to Brussels and announced it would replace him following Niger’s request.
The scepticism toward foreign aid programmes may stem from Western countries’ historically using them as instruments to advance their geopolitical interests. Many have criticised institutions like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for covertly advancing US intelligence objectives during the Cold War, including allegations of training operatives and torturers. Similarly, the United States established the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to carry out what was once the CIA’s covert work, with its founding president openly acknowledging that. Further, Vincent Crouzet, a former French intelligence officer, admitted that the African Sahel region’s instability offers opportunities for ‘secretive’ destabilisation operations.
SOURCES
https://www.barrons.com/news/niger-says-requests-replacement-of-eu-ambassador-amid-aid-row-89e7fcc1
USAID connection to US intelligence
https://archive.ph/5EUEQ#selection-1973.0-1973.77
NED and the CIA
https://mondediplo.com/2007/08/04ned
https://countercurrents.org/2022/05/the-national-endowment-for-democracy-a-second-cia/
French opportunities for destabilization
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