From November 19-21, hundreds gathered in Niamey for the Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel and heard first hand from people who have been on the frontlines of the struggle against French colonialism.
Shouts of "Free, Free Palestine" and "Down with Imperialism" rang through the streets of Niamey as anti-imperialists from Niger and around the world marched together against Israel's genocide on Thursday, November 21. The march culminating in the landmark Thomas Sanakra Memorial came at the conclusion of the three-day Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel, organized by the Pan-Africanism Today Secretariat and the West African People's Organization.
The march was no symbolic event. Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have been in the frontlines of the struggle against imperialism over the past few years. After a series of military coups in the region, the new government took decisive positions against French troops and economic dominance in the region. Together, these governments have formed the Alliance of Sahel States, working together to defeat the impact of sanctions and terrorism. These measures have been strongly backed by people's organizations in the region who see the struggle against French imperialism as a struggle for a second independence.
The spirit was reflected in the Niamey Declaration which was passed at the end of the conference. The delegates expressed support for the resolute peoples and leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States. The declaration commended "the governments emerging from recent coups for adopting patriotic measures to reclaim political and economic sovereignty over their territories and natural resources. These measures include terminating neo-colonial agreements, demanding the withdrawal of French, American, and other foreign forces, and undertaking ambitious plans for sovereign development."
It noted that "these governments currently enjoy widespread support from their citizens, who drive and rally around these revolutionary actions. This unity is crucial for achieving democratic and patriotic ideals and is an aspirational development model for other African nations."
The delegates declared their solidarity with "popular and revolutionary forces in the Sahel in their struggle for full and total sovereignty."
Earlier in the day, delegates wrestled with the vital question of the path to continental unity at the final panel discussion of the conference. Kwesi Pratt Jnr, General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, recalled the history of the Pan-Africanist struggle and said that the only path to unity is resistance. He said that the countries of Africa refused to take lessons on democracy from colonial and neo-colonial powers that had deposed and killed people's leaders in coups. "Our only option is self-reliant development in cooperation with other countries which are victims of capitalism and imperialism," he added.
Falmata Taya of the Nigerien organization M62 said that the struggle in Niger was being spearheaded by the youth and women. She recalled the role of the French forces in undermining the sovereignty of Niger and the divisive policies of the western power. "The people are united...all we want is to be treated as human beings."
Giving an outline of key processes in recent years towards unity and the attempts by the western powers to subvert them, Kouessi Gilbert of the West African Peoples' Organization, called to combat the "political, economic, and cultural imperialism that confronts all countries of Africa." He stressed on the need to defy the artificial borders that were imposed by the colonial powers.
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The conference was greeted by a host of organizations across the continent. The Tanzanian peasants' organization MVIWATA expressed pride in the revolutionary path that the Sahelian states have taken, first to boldly make statements and actions to detach from colonial umbilical cord and secondly to forge alliance of the three states to defend the revolution.
"We are in particular encouraged by the actions that put the revolution in the hands of the people with a devolving responsibility to defend the gains, the revolution and the sovereignty of these African States," the organization said.
