THE Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) recently alleged that France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has approved his special services to launch a plan to remove “unwanted leaders” in Africa.
Russia’s SVR accused French President Emmanuel Macron of authorizing operations to counter ‘unwanted leaders’ in Africa through alleged destabilizing plans.
Concerns were raised regarding ongoing militant activity in Mali, including fuel blockades and attacks, disrupting essential services and education statewide.
France faced allegations of supporting insurgencies across West African nations, purportedly aiming to influence regional political dynamics.
Recent attacks in Niger escalated tensions, with local authorities implicating France and regional allies for involvement in destabilizing actions.
According to the SVR, as seen on Sputnik, terror attacks on citizens, attacks on gasoline tankers, and attempts to blockade Malian cities are all purportedly intended to set the stage for President Assimi Goita’s coup.
The China Global Television Network also put out a tweet, alleging the same plan.
Since September 2025, a militant blockade by the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has effectively cut off regular fuel deliveries in Mali, with armed fighters attacking and destroying hundreds of tanker trucks along major transport corridors.
By October, Mali suspended school activities nationwide, as a result.
Education Minister Amadou Sy Savane said on state television that classes would be halted for two weeks “due to fuel supply disruptions that are impacting the ability of school staff to travel.”
The crisis got so extensive that foreign carriers and logistics organizations, like Mediterranean Shipping Company, temporarily halted cargo bookings to Mali owing to safety and fuel concerns.
This issue was later linked to a surge in insecurity in Mali, which caught the attention of the international community, prompting the United States to add Mali and four other African countries to its high-risk travel list.
Accusation of France’s involvement in West Africa
Very recently, Niger suffered an attack on its Diori Hamani International Airport on the outskirts of its capital city, Niamey.
The offensive, reportedly spanning approximately 30 minutes, led to 24 casualties and 11 arrests as a joint operation involving Nigerien and Russian security operatives launched an air and ground counter-attack against the perpetrators.
In the aftermath of the attack, the nation’s head of state, General Abdourahamane, alleged the involvement of France, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire in the assault.
“We remind the sponsors of these mercenaries, notably Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara: we’ve heard them bark quite enough; now they should get ready to listen to us,” the Nigerien president stated.
In September, Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accused France of training, supporting, and arming terrorists while attempting to destabilize the country from inside and incite inter-ethnic violence.
“Since French troops were cast out from Niger in 2023, the government of France has established a subversive, underhand plan to destabilise my country,” he told world leaders in New York.
He accused Paris of “training, financing and equipping terrorists” and attempting to foment “inter-ethnic conflict” in Niger and across the Sahel.
A month prior, Mali’s junta-led government arrested two generals and a French national, accusing them of plotting to undermine the country.
Source: Business Insider Africa
