NIGER'S PRESIDENT: T*RRORISM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAMs

T*rrorism has nothing to do with Islam. That is the message Niger's president, General Abdourahamane Tiani, delivered during a stunning interview he gave on 31 May. 

As Tiani explained, Islam has existed in Niger for well over a millennium, yet t*rrorism is a recent phenomenon linked to Western imperialism. He mentioned France, the European Union and the United States as culprits, saying France backs t*rrorist group Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM).

As Tiani pointed out, the targets and victims of t*rrorism in the Sahel are overwhelmingly Muslims. Niger is roughly 98 per cent Muslim. Mali is around 95 per cent Muslim. Burkina Faso is approximately 63.8 per cent Muslim. Where is the logic in religious zealots m*rdering members of their faith? Tiani put that question forward to the world.

He is not the first leader in the Sahel to accuse France of backing these groups. In 2022, Mali’s then-Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga accused France of supporting t*rrorists, providing them with arms and intelligence. Mali also sent a letter to the UN Security Council that year stating that France repeatedly violated Mali’s airspace and spied on the country to grant intelligence to t*rrorist organisations, and distributed arms to these paramilitaries. 

Video credit: @ortntele (X)