From Agadez to Washington

Niger will soon join the club of African petroleum producers. With its 300 million-barrel reserve discovered in the Agadez region, it will be difficult, in the short term, to compete with Nigeria, Libya and Algeria. That is not Niger’s only peculiarity. It is also a country that shares a border with Libya, where a conflict between Gadhafi and a Western coalition has been taking place for months. Two other factors can be added as well: Al-Qaida intends to install permanent bases there, and the country is known to have rich supplies of another natural resource — the uranium exploited by France.

No more was necessary to induce U.S. President Barack Obama to extend an invitation to the Nigerian head of state, who will be received along with three other African leaders in order to discuss economic cooperation and regional issues. Obama is expected to attempt, first of all, to rally the Africans to the Western position on the Libyan situation, since many of them are still hesitant on a course of action in this regard. Given the economic and diplomatic blackmail, it is clearly not easy for Africans to gain freedom of action — even on their own continent. One example of this hesitation and of the fragility of African diplomacy: Recently, a demonstration in support of Gadhafi was forbidden because the president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, was anxious not to take sides in the conflict, preferring a negotiated solution.

Nonetheless, Obama is walking on eggshells in this region. As the announcement of the invitation was made, Gadhafi’s popularity in Agadez — where petroleum reserves were discovered last month — became known. Gadhafi and petroleum excite the minds of the Nigerians, from which Obama will have a hard time banishing the positive image of the Libyan leader.

Obama’s task is also proving difficult given the connections between Francophone Africa and France. The challenge is to radically change their opinions in order to facilitate America’s entry — a lost battle for Obama’s predecessors. Will a president with local roots have more luck?

In any case, he intends to pull out all the stops by inviting, simultaneously, four African presidents — even if it is a far cry from the lineup on July 14 of heads of state at the Champs-Élysées, in the company of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

All the same, Obama will meet President Boni Yayi of Benin, President Alpha Condé of Guinea and President Alassane Ouattara of the Ivory Coast — the man, supported by the French, who wishes to establish democracy in his country. A few months later, it is now the United States’ turn to try to embed their model. It could attempt the offensive, which is aimed exclusively at Arab nations (even if it is not applied to all Arab nations), but that would be a mistake, since the geographic area of these students of the Occident has not ceased to enlarge. It’s already gotten off to a good start for our eastern neighbors — why not extend the exercise to the south? Others want to make the most of it. Like al-Qaida!